Played Like Piano Keys
by Kuroshi44
Summary: Hogwarts students Allen Walker and Yuu Kanda are not normal, and tired of pretending otherwise. Certain manipulators need to learn that, unlike chess, real life isn't limited to two major players. Rating is for later content and because I am paranoid.
1. Chamber of Secrets

**AN: I don't like posting unless a story is almost finished, or I have a place where I would be happy to call it completed even though the idea is far from over, or both. This was one of the first cross over fan Fictions I ever started, but as the idea required quite a few chapters, it isn't the first I've published**

 **I recommend not reading this if you haven't read the HP books. This will have spoilers for almost everything, and anything that is the same from the series I tried to omit so you may get lost. And I don't own anything, it all belongs to other people.**

 **NOTE ON TITLE: it is not meant to make sense yet, though you can just look at as a comment on how many characters are manipulative bastards**

Hermione sat at the Gryffindor table and worried. She hadn't seen Ron or Harry on the train or in the Great Hall and the sorting was about to start. The hat was out and the little kids, though they were only a year younger, were filing in. Now she was very worried.

Despite her worry she couldn't help noting two that didn't quite fit in. One was white, there was no other word for it, he had silver eyes and hair that was not blond but actually white. The only colour he had was a red scar starting under his hair that kept going through his eye to his chin; it was startling compared to his otherwise pale completion. The other wasn't quite so obvious, other than the fact that he (she thought it was a he) had long hair and was standing a little closer to the other than many would consider normal.

What made them really stand out, at least to her, was their attitude. While the others were nervous and uncertain these two looked relaxed, as if to say they had seen and done it all before.

So, Hermione watched as the two were called up to be sorted. The first was the long haired one, 'Kanda, Yuu' still undetermined gender. They only had the hat on for a little while before they were sorted into Gryffindor. The pale one, 'Walker, Allen' was called up just before Ginny and was also fairly quickly sent to join his friend with Ginny following soon after.

Finally the sorting finished and the feast began, with still no sign of Harry or Ron. Her worry came back even worse when she watched some teachers leave the hall. To distract herself she took to watching the new students. Allen and Yuu provided the most distraction.

Apparently tact, or lack of, ran in families. This was supported when Fred and Gorge approached the duo.

'So, Yuu, are you a boy or girl?' after the comment she watched both twins, and almost everyone else sitting close by, back up and go pale at the site of the kid's glare. This possibly would have escalated if not for the intervention of the scarred, white haired boy. Everyone else looked on in shock and horror as he wacked the threatening boy (girl?) over the head.

'Kanda, behaved,' he then turned to the others with a smile so sweet and innocent it was unbelievable. 'Please forgive him, he has no manners. For your own well-being I suggest you refrain from calling him by his first name, call him Kanda.' The boy frowned for a second and brought a hand to his chin as if thinking. 'Actually, for safety, just pretend he doesn't exist. God knows I wish he didn't.' That smile was back again.

'Che, Moyashi, you should keep quiet in order to avoid embarrassment,' the boy, Kanda, complained; but he looked less like he was about to kill half the hall for the previous comment.

'Two centimetres, BaKanda, two centimetres; it is not as big of a difference as you seem to think.'

'Doesn't matter, you are and always will be, a Moyashi.'

'Moyashi? What's that?' Hermione asked, new information would help keep her worry at bay.

'A Japanese word which will never be repeated. I'm sorry where are my manners? My name is Allen Walker, and you would be?' Allen held out his gloved right hand.

'Hermione Granger, those two were Fred and Gorge Weasley,' she replied, shaking the hand.

'Nice to meet you,' and with that they went back to eating, though she occasionally looked up at the pair. She frowned, she hadn't noticed the unnamed dish that Kanda had apparently found, and there was something wrong with Allen's plate. He seemed to be constantly reaching for food, but the plate was never more than reasonably full, then it would be empty, then full. She had no idea how much he had eaten, she hadn't seen him eating, just the constant filling and emptying of his plate.

By the time she had found Harry and Ron (a flying car, really?) and the whole house had celebrated their actions before going to bed, there was only one conclusion she could come to about the two first years.

Allen and Kanda where strange by anyone's standards, even wizards.

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Harry sat at the table for lunch with a groan, first day of school and he had forgotten everything from the year before. Lockhart and his obsession with fame (and Hermione's crush on him) just seemed to make everything that little bit worse. A little after they sat down they were joined by two first years who gave Hermione a friendly smile. The (slightly) shorter white haired boy started talking first.

'Hello, Hermione, I don't believe we have had the pleasure of meeting your friends. My name is Allen Walker and this is Kanda, don't call him anything else, also don't mention the hair, in fact don't mention him at all, he is rather anti-social.' Harry watched as Allen held out his right hand with a smile on his face that could put Lockhart's to shame.

'Ronald Weasley, but most people call me Ron.' Ron seemed a little confused about the two first years but shook Allen's hand anyway. The hand was then offered to Harry, and he got a good look at the boy's face for the first time, before he had only been able half of it. The scar adorning Allen's left cheek made him feel very self-conscious about his own; like someone had made a fuss over a paper cut he had while standing next to a guy who was mortally wounded.

'Harry Potter,' he finally managed to get out. Neither boys reacted, it could have been that Allen was too polite and Kanda just didn't care, they seemed the type. He actually found the lack of reaction a pleasant surprise, especially compared to Lockhart.

Unfortunately Ron was not that perceptive, or subtle.

'Did you hear him? His name is Harry Potter.' Ron spoke rather loudly, as if he thought the boys were hard of hearing.

'Believe me, Mr Weasley, I heard him just fine, though it might have been for the last time,' the smile turned slightly condescending, the one a parent gives a small child that has done something silly, not the one to give to person in the year above.

'Sorry, it's just that most people react rather strongly. You have to know who he is, everyone dose, even those who are muggle-born.' Ron was slightly quieter now, and sent Hermione a look to say that he wasn't being offensive, just stating fact.

'I do. Wizards are not subtle, as you just proved, I have been hearing about him for a while. I do, however, also know common curtesy.'

After Ron turned red at the admonishment and the five returned to their meals. The trio finished first and headed to the court yard. It was only at the end of the day, after the dreadful Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson, that the three of them had time to discuss the two first years. They all came to the same conclusion as Hermione the night before; the boys were strange, maybe even stranger than Colin.

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The Duo seemed to be avoiding them after that, but Harry wasn't sure if it was all of them or just Ron that they didn't want to see. From a distance it looked as if they were fitting in with the rest of their year group, so the trio didn't worry much about it. It was several weeks later, just a little before Halloween, that the five of them ended up talking to each other again. The topic was mostly how they liked the school so far.

'So, what do you think of Hogwarts? Settling in okay?' Hermione was trying to act like a semi-responsible older student. At least that was what Ron told himself, the slight blush she had as she talked to them meant absolutely nothing. Kanda was the first to respond to her question, he snorted.

'If I was allowed to bring Mugden that bastard Lockhart would be dead already.' Hermione looked completely shocked, all signs of a blush gone.

'Other than him the school seems alright,' Allen intervened. 'I like the grounds keeper, Hagrid, he has the most interesting pets.' Harry liked Allen, and Kanda appeared to be able to see past fame and glory to see what people were really like. Even if the boy was rude and "anti-social" as Allen put it, at least he wasn't a suck up.

'What's your favourite class?' Ron seemed a bit friendlier now that they had insulted Lockhart, but that feeling diminished slightly after their response.

'Potions.' They said in unison. There was no response the three could give to that; they found themselves avoiding the two from then on.

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The two boys stood in front of the wall where Miss Norris had been found with the threatening message during one of the few times Filch was not on guard. The red words still glinted threateningly in the candle light, even after several days of scrubbing they were as fresh as Halloween night.

'Moyashi? What do you think, we safe?'

'That depends on what they are targeting; if they were taking out anyone other than pure and half-bloods, we are screwed. If they're only after those who are muggle born or squibs, we may be fine. Then there is the question of how the hell they can tell the difference. If they're going off of records or rumours all bets are off unless you can show your family tree, which neither of us can do.'

'Short answer?'

'I miss when we thought we were human and everything was so much simpler.'

'For once, I agree.'

The two contrasting people walked away. Once the footsteps faded Harry lifted his invisibility cloak, he had been on his way to check out the toilet for clues they may have missed. Now he had even more to think about.

What the hell did they mean, not human?

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It was just before Christmas holidays, Allen and Kanda weren't staying they found out, that the Duelling club hosted by Lockhart was organised. Harry was standing next to Allen so he heard the quiet words that were whispered when the two teachers walked in.

'My bets on Professor Snape, Kanda, what do you think?' the words were so quiet Harry was surprised he could hear them.

'I learnt a long time ago, Moyashi, not to bet against you,' Kanda's reply was just as quiet. 'Try your luck on someone who doesn't know you.'

They couldn't mean that the innocent looking boy was a gambler, could they? Then again it was only a month or two ago that he had heard them discussing not being human any more.

Lockhart started the lesson by being blown back by Professor Snape; Allen looked at Kanda with a raised eyebrow. Then they were placed into teams, Harry watched as Allen and Kanda were allowed to stay together while he was placed with Malfoy. He hadn't known that Snape had a soft spot for the boys; then again he wasn't in their class, he had just thought the man's prejudice against Gryffindor would mean it wasn't possible for him to favour any from their house.

After the various partners were told to stop Harry took a look at the mayhem that was the result. The only successful pair seemed to be the first years, Kanda had been glaring at Allen who had two wands in his hands and a slightly less innocent smile on his face than normal. They were watching in interest as the two girls were finally made to stop fighting.

He had to concentrate on his duel after that; he didn't see them again until the moment with the snake.

'Allow me!' Lockhart shouted and began to move, but the duo moved faster. Before he had finished the spell Kanda was standing between the man and the snake, shield spell raised. Whatever enchantment Lockhart had cast bounced off the shield and back to him, making Lockhart go flying into the air. Allen, in the meantime, had run up to the snake and now had it wrapped around his arm with its head almost in his hand.

'Don't hurt me and I won't hurt you, I will even help you if you behave.' Allen was talking to the snake, Harry didn't think it was weird, and then the boy turned to him.

'You want her? She was fired at you?'

'No thanks.' Harry replied, he didn't understand the boys look until much later.

How was he to know that the whole conversation had been in Parseltongue?

He heard from one of the other first years that the boy had permission to keep it as a familiar. If it wasn't for this fact, Harry was informed by Ron, then it would have been Harry who was the top suspect for being the Slytherin's heir instead of Allen.

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Professor Dumbledore stood in stunned silence after he entered his office. Of all the things he could have expected to see the day after putting Mr Flinch-Fletchley in the infirmary, and having to discuss with Harry the attacks, this was not one of them. How did two first years manage to break into his office? They must have broken in, because if they had been _let_ in he would have been told.

He recognised them of course; he made it a habit to know all of the students in the school, no matter what. Allen Walker, the boy with a scar so large and fresh looking he worried about lingering pain, was sitting on the edge of his desk, playing with one of the gadgets that normally sat on a table on the other side of the room. Yuu Kanda, Mr Walker's shadow that seemed to have homicidal rage issues, was standing comfortably and talking to the portraits of past Headmasters; there were a couple he seemed particularly friendly with.

'May I inquire what you do would be doing in my office unannounced, Mr Walker and Mr Kanda?' Kanda was the first to speak.

'Che, Moyashi had somethings that he thought you should know,' the boy had been friendlier with the portraits. Allen sent a slight glare at his friend before turning to Dumbledore and explaining in a rather clipped tone.

'There are two things that I think you should be made aware of, if you don't know already. First, and most importantly, there is a basilisk in the pluming.' At Dumbledore's surprised look he elaborated. 'It's what has been petrifying all the students; it only kills if you look at it directly. I know it's there but I do not know who is controlling it, not really. There is a soul fragment that is manipulating it through another person; I don't know the identity of either of these people. If you want to avoid fatalities, I recommend telling people to carry a mirror, so that they can look around corners without getting a nasty surprise.' Dumbledore hadn't lost his dazed expression.

'How do you know it is a basilisk?' he finally managed to get out.

'I'm a parselmouth; I can hear it threatening people. Given everything, that was the only creature that made sense.'

The boy got up and Mr Kanda was at his side in an instant. They started towards the door.

'May I ask what the second thing was?' Dumbledore asked just before they left. Allen turned around, for once he wasn't smiling.

'Your chosen one, Harry? He is being used as a hoarcrux, just thought you should know,' with that the boys were gone.

The next day it was made mandatory that all students carry a mirror and check before walking around corners. Finally he could do something to protect his students.

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It was as the trio were making their way to the girl's bathroom, using the mandatory mirrors, that Hermione broached the subject they had been avoiding.

'I know that Harry isn't the Heir, and Malfoy is rather suspicious, but do you think we're wasting our time and we should be investigating Allen and Kanda instead? I mean, half the school still thinks it's them.'

'It has to be Malfoy!' Ron seriously hoped it would be, an excuse to expel the rat was too good to pass up. 'But on the off chance it's not, those two are the next on the list.'

'It's not them,' Harry muttered quietly once they, finally, reached the stall. His friends stared at him.

'Why do you say that?' Ron asked.

'You have to admit, they are almost as suspicious as Malfoy, Harry. They are always together, Allen is a Parselmouth,' at Harry's look she continued quickly, 'and he kept the snake that Malfoy made. They even get along with Professor Snape!'

Harry said no more as they added their hairs and drank the potion, he was thinking.

The boys were suspicious, for all the reasons Hermione said and more. He had overheard them saying there weren't human for crying out loud! They also acted so much older than first years; he didn't think they had been like that last year. They were suspicious, and most likely guilty of something, but he had heard them discussing motive and means while thinking themselves unheard. He didn't think they weren't guilty, just not when it came to this.

Then he and Ron were leaving and he didn't have time to think of anything else.

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The term after Christmas was quiet; there were no attacks for several weeks, bordering on a couple of months, when a disaster struck.

It was after the diary, during the Quidditch match, that three students were petrified. A Ravenclaw girl plus Kanda and Allen, were all found just outside the library. The Ravenclaw girl had been saved by the mandatory mirror as she went round a corner, that wasn't the case for the duo however.

They were found standing in the middle of a long corridor, the basilisk – as the school had thought it to be – had caught them. They were not looking in a mirror, there were staring straight ahead, a look of anger on Kanda's face and fear on Allen's. Allen had always claimed that two centimetres was not that big of a difference, but it was large enough for Kanda to hold him protectively.

The previous quiet of the school was shattered. Students panicked, Allen was exonerated because he was now petrified, and Harry was as well because he was on the Quidditch pitch at the time. The months after that would be a roller coaster for the trio, because there were so many things they had to find out and check as well as keeping up on homework that it was just not funny. They were just happy that they had Hermione to help them.

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The catching of the "heir of Slytherin" happened quite quickly in the end, and Lockhart was proven a fraud at the same time so that was a bonus.

After the attack on the three students at once people started doubting it was a Basilisk, especially as Allen and Kanda were still alive. Harry, personally, believed that the reason they survived was that they were not human, but he couldn't say that to anyone else.

The same day that the Mandrakes were ready was the same day that Ginny ended up in the chamber, and the same day that Harry figured out where the chamber was. The same day Hermione was petrified so she couldn't go with them, the same day it was confirmed – like Dumbledore had said – that the monster was a basilisk. A lot of things happened that day, and out of all of it Harry wished he could forget the fight in the chamber the most, it was horrifying. He was just glade they all survived in the end.

It was on the train ride home that the trio finally discussed Allen and Kanda properly, that Harry finally told his friends the conversation he had overheard.

By the end they had come to one conclusion, the duo was strange. It the years to come they would keep a very careful eye on them, and the things they would find would shake the world they thought they knew to the very foundations.

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	2. Prisoner of Azkaban part 1

**An: this was only going to have** _ **small**_ **changes to the original plot, then I decided that if I was going to make it AU I may as well go all out. Also had to split it because it got so big, all of the third book was originally going to be one chapter.**

For the first two weeks after he had found Mr Walker and Mr Kanda in his office without permission, Albus Dumbledore had been frantic trying to keep his school safe, as well as trying to investigate the two first years. He had looked at ministry records, exhausted Muggle resources, asked portraits and ghosts alike if they could shed some light on the two students. Very soon, however, he had had to cease his searching as all sources of information had proved rather unhelpful, or just straight-out confusing. By the end of the third week he was left with the impression that the two boys were somehow a rite of passage, which was informative in some ways and just baffling in others, and informed that he was not the only one taking it.

In the months since the two had woken from petrification they had proven to be rather familiar with the castle and, more specifically, his office. It had become a regular occurrence to walk in and be greeted by the Duo. At one stage he had, just once early on, broken and ended up asking out right.

'Since you have no issues flaunting that you are not normal, Mr Walker and Mr Kanda, may I enquire who or what you are, and why the Castel seems to be taking your side in the matter?' he had thought that he handled the question rather admirably.

Allen had smiled innocently, Kanda had ignored him; the boy said nothing, did nothing, without Allen's permission or insistence. He would never understand their relationship.

'If the portraits don't want to tell you, then who am I to break their confidence? I was under the impression it was a game, and that cheating was not allowed.' One of the portraits, an older one by the name of Fortescue, snorted.

'Damn right you can't tell him, he's been given too much of a head start as it is. It's not fair; you're playing favourites.' The man sounded like a petulant child rather than a leader of a school from many years ago.

'You're just upset that you weren't one of the few who actually figured it out before being told by others afterwards,' Kanda snorted, he was rather familiar with people once he decided he wasn't avoiding them. Professor Dumbledore often wondered which of the boys was the larger mystery.

That conversation had been several weeks ago, it had taken place on the last day of school and had resulted in them helping him choose Lupin as a Professor for DADA. Soon after that he had given up on trying to understand Allen Walker and Yuu Kanda.

Of course that didn't mean that he could avoid them, on the contrary he was once again looking at the two students as they sat in his office without permission. This was made even more amazing as it was currently summer break and there should be no students _at all_ at the school, let alone the two standing before him. They seemed to insist on dropping in for what appeared to be weekly visits.

Currently, Allen appeared to be talking to one of the oldest portraits, the one of the first headmaster after the founders, and Kanda was reading _The Daily Prophet_. After a while the Japanese boy let out a loud snort.

'He's finally out, thank God. I was beginning to think that we may have had to do something.'

Professor Dumbledore frowned; the only thing he could be talking about was Serious Black, who had escaped mere days ago with the news having just been put in that edition of the paper. The problem was that twelve year olds, even strange ones, rarely showed such relief at the idea of an escaped convict.

'Who's out? And why would you have to do something if he wasn't?' It was Allen who answered, unsurprisingly.

'Black finally stopped hanging around in Azkaban; we were considering breaking him out ourselves if he stayed there much longer. Though I suppose it would be more accurate to say we were going to kidnap him, since we were not intending to give him a choice in the matter. Is it still kidnapping if you take them from a Gaol?'

Professor Dumbledore stared at them; what possible reason could they have for breaking a person who killed thirteen people with one cures and betrayed his friends out of Gaol? Maybe he made a mistake trusting the opinion of the paintings that the two boys meant no harm.

Seeing his look Kanda decided to let him in on the secrete, or this one at least.

'The idiot is innocent, framed. The real killer was someone else entirely.'

He couldn't believe it, it didn't make sense. Surely the real killer would have been revealed by now; surely Black wouldn't have gone to Azkaban willingly unless he was truly mad and guilty? Why would anyone stay in that place for so long without complaint if they thought they didn't deserve it? And with the ease he had escaped, wouldn't he have done it earlier if you could have done it at all?

He also thought about Black's mutterings before he escaped, he had been saying 'he's at Hogwarts' over and over again. Who else could he be talking about but Harry, the person who killed his master, and cost him everything? How did those words fit in if what was accepted as truth was false, and that reasoning no longer stood to light? Unless…

'How do you know this?' And the big question, 'and why haven't you told anyone? Surely you should have mentioned to someone who the real killer was? Surely you should do so now?'

His statement was met with laughter.

'Questions, questions, and none that we can answer; somethings you have to find for yourself. Don't worry; we will help, a little, but people have to be able to grow on their own some of the time.'

'Just answer me this, is the real killer a threat to my students?' his students were, and always would be, his major concern.

He watched them look at each other as they thought about the question, the silent communication that seemed to pass between them. He was thankful they were actually considering it rather than dismissing it out of hand.

'I do not believe so,' Allen said slowly. 'If he was going to do anything I think he would have done so long before now, he has had the opportunity. Of course he was never under so much threat before, and scared people tend to act in unpredictable ways.' The answer didn't exactly put his mind at ease.

'You can't tell anyone that you know this of course,' Kanda piped up.

'I know, as much as it pains me to admit it.' No, he couldn't tell anyone. If he was to suddenly change his position on the case it would raise suspicion, and he had no proof. It hurt that one of his former students was being hunted like this for a crime he didn't commit, but some actions would do more harm than good.

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It was only a few weeks later, just after Harry had been safely delivered to Diagon Alley, that Kanda actually asked something of him rather than just talk to portraits.

'We're allowed owls, cats, and toads as pets at school, and Moyashi has a snake, so can I have a dog on school grounds?'

Professor Dumbledore looked at him; this was the opportunity he had been waiting for.

'On one condition; you keep an eye on the students, especially Harry and his friends.' Looking at Kanda's frown he continued. 'You said people do unpredictable things when they are scared, you are right. Since you know so much more than us, would you consider insuring the safety of my students from a killer? That is, without interfering with their growth, of course.'

The boys looked at each other, that silent communication he was getting so used to passing between them.

'Does that mean that we actually have to ride the train this year?'

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Sirius Black watched as the two boys approached him after Harry had left on the Knight Bus. He held perfectly still as the dark haired one pulled various boxes of food, good human food, out of his bag and appeared to offer it to him. He didn't know whether to except or to run.

He recognised him, the dark haired one, a few days after he was locked up he had appeared in his cell, but he had looked very different.

He had been a man then, or as close as didn't matter; the person in front of him now couldn't have been more than twelve, a year younger than his God Son. He would love to say this this must have been that man's son, but a son would not have the exact same scar on the back of his hand. This person was wearing normal Muggle cloths, what he had worn back then had looked similar to the mist of an incomplete Patronus wrapped around him; and seemed to have a similar effect as one.

The man then had offered freedom, and had asked why an innocent man had decided he had to suffer. He had answered, even as the man had sneered in a manner reminiscent of Snape the warmth he had brought had loosened his tongue.

Now he was offering help again, but in a different form and with another at his side.

They had laid out the food behind some bushes, where he could shift back into a human and not be seen, they also somehow materialised a bowl of warm water, a cloth and clean clothes.

As he cleaned himself off and ate, the person's friend, a white haired child, had started talking.

'My name is Allen Walker, I believe you met my friend Kanda here a few years ago. I know that you are innocent, I know who the real killer is, and I know he is still alive and that that is the reason you have finally broken out Azkaban.

'We would like to help you, under certain conditions.

'We will get you into Hogwarts, as Kanda's Familiar, though you will not be able turn into anything else unless we are there and have specified the place. You will be required to be collared; I apologise for this, but it is the only way to avoid discovery.

'If we do this you will behave, you will not attack Peter until it is safe to do so, in such a way that no other person will get hurt. We have a plan, we are asking if you wish to witness it and keep an eye on Harry.'

After he was clean and full for the first time in a long time, and after hearing such a wonderful plan, what else could he do but nod in agreement and hold still as they slipped the collar over his head.

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A week had passed since Harry had arrived in Diagon Alley when he saw them, he wasn't sure if he should be surprised or not.

He was on his way to Florean Fortescue's Ice-Cream Parlour to do his homework when he heard a familiar voice. Peering at the two in front he recognised Allen Walker and Kanda Yuu, the two very strange Gryffindors in the year below. From the sound of it they were arguing about the amount of ice-cream they were ordering; Allen appeared to want a rather large serving, Kanda didn't seem to want any, yet Allen was insisting on getting two.

Harry found himself hanging back instead of barging into the shop, his homework had waited this long, it could wait a little longer.

Last year the two in front of him had caused quite a stir amongst his friends; as well as never seeing one without the other, Harry had also heard a rather disturbing conversation that insinuated that the two were not quite human. Throughout the whole chamber of secrets incident they had done nothing to alleviate the suspicion that was being heaped on them by the other students after Allen proved to speak snake, only being proved innocent when they themselves were added to the list of petrified victims.

And here they were, wondering around Diagon Alley, a place he was not allowed to leave for another two weeks. Harry decided that homework could wait a day while he tried his hand at investigating people.

He watched as the two left the store and wondered off, Allen still trying to convince Kanda about the ice-cream. They didn't go far before Kanda snatched the offending bit of confectionary and handed it to a woman sitting outside the shop, mumbling something Harry was too far away to hear. The woman laughed and went inside, leaving a pink Kanda and giggling Allen behind.

Harry had never had the opportunity to watch many detective films, but the few he had seen certainly hadn't made tailing people look this hard. It was one thing to keep the two second years in sight, another to do so without looking suspicious. Everyone was on high alert because of Black so acting like a stalker was probably not a good idea, no matter how famous you were for good actions.

There was one very awkward moment when Harry ran into Kanda, rather literally.

The two boys had entered a suitcase shop (of all things) and Harry had planned to walk in and pretend to look at the merchandise. The plan was cancelled, however, when he failed to notice an annoyed Kanda storming back out of the shop almost as soon as he had entered. The head on collision was not enjoyable, neither was falling to the ground or being glared at with such intensity that he had to wonder why he wasn't on fire yet.

'Kanda, come on, he said he needed a new case and this is the best shop …' Allen's voice trailed off as he saw the position the two were in. The boy seemed to be tossing up on whether to be amused or exasperated, but not even that would stop his manners. 'Good afternoon, Mr Potter, do you require some assistance?'

Harry was on the verge of denying so and running for the hills, when he realised that Allen was referring to the fact that he was currently sprawled on the ground rather awkwardly and asking if he needed a hand up. He found himself grumbling an acceptance, and soon he was on his feet again.

'Were you looking for a new trunk as well? I would have thought yours would be good for a few more years, unless you are getting a present the same as we are?' Harry silently marvelled at the boy's ability to act like it was completely normal to see a person from school lying on the pavement after being run into by his friend, then again for all he knew it _was_ a common occurrence for him.

'Er, well, you never know when you're going to need more space for school books,' he replied lamely and wondered, with the amount of practise he got, why his ability to make up excuses was so poor.

Allen was still smiling politely (Harry wondered if he ever stopped) but his lips twitched in a way that made Harry think he was fighting laughter.

'Well, since were all together, I don't suppose that you would be interested in exploring the street with us? There are quite a few interesting shops, and since our interests have appeared to be rather similar this last day perhaps you would enjoy accompanying us?' Allen replied.

Harry felt his cheeks warm up in embarrassment; apparently he hadn't been near as subtle in his investigation as he had hoped.

But now he had a choice. To keep following and looking suspicions with the advantage of separation from the two really creepy second years, or walk with them like a normal person and possibly expose himself to things better left alone.

They were secretive, strange, unlikely to be human, spoke to snakes, and were so close it constantly gave the impression they were plotting something; maybe murder. These were the kinds of people Harry usually avoided for fear of assassination attempts.

And yet …

He wanted information; he needed to know if they were really a threat or just same amount of strange as most Wizards seemed to be. Following discretely was apparently not an option, and while hanging around with them posed a small risk, it also offered a closer view and alternate opinion to what he would get as a complete outsider.

What was that ridiculously clichéd line? Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. They had been a little friendly with Hermione last year before several incidents that had caused no small amount of tension between the groups, maybe forming a friend ship was the way to go.

As they walked around, he noticed that Kanda was a little more sullen than he had been at school; he put it off to the boy not liking crowds. That night they were in the restaurant of the leaky cauldron, and he found out that there was a bit more to Kanda's annoyance than that.

'Are you staying here as well?' Harry asked.

'Unfortunately,' Kanda muttered.

'Any particular reason?' harry suspected he sounded nosy, but really couldn't care.

'A bribe,' Allen sighed, 'due to the recent upheaval it was deemed safer for us to stay around here, so we were offered an exchange to do so.'

Harry couldn't respond to that.

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	3. Prisoner of Azkaban part 2

At Gringotts the next day all three of them had to withdraw money, Harry was a little disappointed when the other two made sure to get a different cart to him. He did make note that they shared a vault, and that the goblins knew then by name. Apparently the little creatures could be friendly when it was in their best interest.

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Kanda glared at the broom as Harry stared through the window at it in a short of daze.

'How can you not love it? It's the fasted broom on the market!' he said in the same hurt voice a person got when their crush was insulted. Kanda snorted.

'We have a … friend … that makes us customized brooms that are ten times faster than any other heap of junk out there.' Harry looked at him, highly offended, and wondering just what kind of connections the boys had.

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Harry watched as Allen bought several packets of Snake treats and offered one to the scaled head that was poking out from his robes.

'What's its name?' he asked out of curiosity.

'Maria, it's a girl,' Allen replied. The store owner was looking a little uncomfortable, more so when Harry hissed at the snake.

' _Hey, Maria,'_ he said, _'I take it you enjoy being with Allen?'_

Harry swore that the snake was looking at him like he was beneath her despite the lack of expressive features. His suspicions were confirmed with her words.

' _Insolent one,'_ she hissed. Allen laughed at Harry's expression as Maria tucked her head back into his robes.

That had to be the strangest rejection from a girl he had ever received.

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Harry stared as Allen ran from the pub, grabbed his hand, and kept on running as several hexes followed. The boy just laughed and tucked a deck of cards into his robes.

Harry suddenly understood why the boy was in Gryffindor, not even the Weasley twins were brave enough to gamble on cards.

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Harry watched as Allen and Kanda bought various potion ingredients he knew from Fred and George where expensive components of several joke formulas. He raised an eyebrow when they were divided into two packs and sent off with a note saying it was from "secrete sponsors". Allen grinned at him.

'Fred, George, and Peeves are very annoying and to be avoided at all costs. That said, they are also an excellent source of entertainment.

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'Why do you not like Ron? I mean, you only talked to him twice that I know of,' Harry said in exasperation.

Allen looked at him with unreadable eyes, Kanda snorted (his apparent default response) and replied in a very annoyed voice.

'He stole my favourite quill after I lent it to a class mate. He also insulted us the first time we met and called us evil Snakes every time he passed us in the hall last year because Allen is a parselmouth and because Professor Snape didn't hate us.'

Harry couldn't really to response to that, it would be very hard to defend his friend based on that evidence.

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Hermione and Ron were eating ice-cream when they spotted Harry and went to call out to him, then they hesitated. It was the last day of the holidays and they had spent most of it trying to find their wayward friend, now they saw him with Allen and Kanda standing outside the Quality Quidditch Supplies. Considering all the reservations they had had about the two the year before, and the fact that a serial killer was on the loose, they were rather surprised at the three of them being together to say the least.

They had a silent discussion about what to do, and in the end they decided that talking to Harry was worth putting up with the duo. As it turned out they needn't have worried, as the two now second-year boys noticed them before they could call out, pointed Harry in the right direction, and wondered off with a cheery wave.

'What's with those two?' Ron was as blunt as ever.

'They decided it would be nice to let us catch up without an audience, apparently,' Harry said. 'Also, Kanda apparently has an issue with your family, Ron, after last year.' Harry explained the duo's hasty retreat, leaving out that it was less his family and more Ron himself the two didn't like. Last year the twins had asked if Kanda was a girl along with Ron's behaviour, so the excuse had merit any way. Ron went red at the reminder of his family's previous actions.

'Yes, but why were they with you in the first place?' Hermione clarified the, in her opinion, important question. 'I though we agreed they were really suspicious.'

'They decided to keep me company since all three of us are staying in the Leaky Cauldron. I thought it would be a good opportunity to try and figure them out.'

Hermione congratulate him on this plan, quoting the exact same cliche to him that he had used himself. From there they discussed holidays, the next school year, and Hermione's new pet.

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After Harry had had his little conversation with Mr Weasley, and had had to dash towards the train to avoid missing it, his mind was too busy with thoughts of a serial killer, and how to tell his friends, to think about the strange duo. After the conversation had finally finished they had been too preoccupied with the new teacher, Hogsmeade, and the unfortunate incident with the Dementor to be concerned with much else.

It was only as Ron was walking into the Great Hall and saw the two boys already sitting at the Gryffindor table that he realised that, even though they had searched the train for a free carriage they hadn't seen either of them.

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Harry was watching Allen and Kanda as Dumbledore explained about the Dementors, so he watched both boys cringe and get a little paler as he talked. Thinking about his own experience with the one on the train he thought he understood the sentiment.

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At breakfast the next morning they sat next the two boys after Malfoys ridiculous show. After George's statement Allen started talking a little louder than normal, loud enough to carry over to the Slytherins.

'You know what I can't stand? Hypocrites,' Kanda raised his eyebrow, 'hypocrites and people who make fun of others when they have no idea what they are talking about.'

'You mean like a person who is scared of a Dementor, and then makes fun of someone else just because they happen to be tougher than them?' Kanda still had his eyebrow raised.

The room was quieter now, so everyone heard Malfoy when he snorted and lifted one side of his mouth before talking. 'And how does a person who faints at the site of a floating clock classify as tough?' Suddenly Kanda's expression was mirroring the blond hair boy as he explained.

'The more extreme a reaction to a Dementor it means the more horrific your past is. If someone faints, to use your example, then it means they should be congratulated for still being sane. In contrast a person who nearly wets them self is nothing more than a pampered brat who knows nothing about real strength, and is probably nothing more than a mother's boy.'

Malfoy went bright red.

'How dare you insult me like that?' he nearly screamed.

'He never said anything about you; he was merely making an example.' Allen spoke up from next to his dark haired friend. 'If you can relate to what he said enough to mistakenly think he was referring to you … then I am afraid that is your concern and has nothing to do with us.' No one knew quite what to say to that, but no one mentioned Harry fainting ever again.

Slowly everyone went back to their schedules and breakfast.

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After their horrific first day they stayed up that night in the Gryffindor common room and decided to talk to Allen and Kanda, following Harry's plan of becoming friends in order to keep an eye on them. It was then that they met Kanda's new familiar.

'What the bloody hell is that!' Ron yelled as a _very_ large dog came wondering into the room and just looked at them. Harry was staring at it with a rather strange look on his face.

'It's my familiar.' Kanda snorted.

'That thing looks like the ruddy Grimm! Can't either of you two have a _normal_ familiar?' Kanda glared at the red head.

During the conversation the dog in question had wondered over to Harry and placed his head on his legs, much like Fang tended to, and looked up at him with large, dark, eyes opened wide. There was a lot of intelligence in those eyes.

'He likes you,' stated Allen. 'You can pat him you know, he doesn't bite.' Slowly Harry followed Allen's prompting and watched the dog close his eyes in bliss as he ruffled his ears.

'What's his name?' Hermione said, finally looking up from one of her many books.

'Padfoot,' Kanda said.

Suddenly there was an intense wriggling from Ron's pocket. The dog, Padfoot, looked at the lump as if it wanted to pounce, Kanda glared at him and he settled back down, but his eyes never moved from that lump.

'Have you ever been near Privet Drive in Little Whingeing, Surrey?' Harry asked after several minutes of silence, still patting Padfoot.

'Yes we have, once,' Allen said with a tilt of his head. 'We were there a few weeks before school started seeing a friend, why?'

'No reason.' Harry said as he looked away from the dog awards Ron.

They all went to bed soon after, leaving Padfoot to lie next to the fire with Maria to "keep him out of trouble."

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Harry, Hermione and Ron spent the rest of the week trying to keep an eye on Allen, Kanda and Padfoot, or Harry kept an eye on Padfoot as he had grown rather fond of the dog. The only interesting thing happened on Thursday towards the end of their first Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson.

The Boggart was just heading towards Harry when the class was disturbed by a knock on the door and the creaking of hinges. A small voice was heard saying something along the lines of "sorry to interrupt" before the Boggart gave a _crack_ before flying towards the widening gap in the door. The gap had just gotten large enough that they could see the scared face and white hair of Allen Walker when the Boggart went flying through and hit the boy in the chest, causing him to step back a bit on impact.

Allen then looked around the room with the sort of resigned look a person got when they asked a question they already knew the answer to.

'That was a Boggart, wasn't it?' Lupin nodded with a look that clearly asked what the hell had just happened. Allen sighed, 'I'm sorry, I may have just ruined your lesson. I know from experience that when a Boggart lodges itself in my cloths it doesn't tend to come out without a lot coaxing. Please accept my humble apologies for appropriating your Boggart.' The boy gave a half bow before he continued.

'The reason I interrupted your class was because Madam Pomfrey had asked me to tell you, Professor Lupin, that she would like to see you as soon as possible. That was all, I apologies once again for interrupting, and for stealing your Boggart. Goodbye.' And with that the Allen left, leaving a rather stunned and confused third-year class and teacher in his wake.

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The next few weeks passed in much the same manner as the first when it came to the trio watching Kanda and Allen, with only one major difference.

They were now famous. During their first year it had come to light that Allen was a parselmouth, highlighting him as a possible heir of Slytherin, but that was nothing compared to this.

Rumours spread around the school concerning the incident with the Boggart, made worst when the white haired boy sent a tightly sealed box that rattled via Owl Post to his "family" and refused to state what was in it. Many people had made bets that it was the Boggart in question, though no-one knew how he would have gotten it into the box to begin with.

After several weeks the whispers died down, but now everyone knew who the two second-years were, and that they weren't quite normal.

Sometime after the boggart the trio had started making a list of all the unusual things that happened. One was that Padfoot seemed to be unusually friendly with Crookshanks, and both seemed to share a deep hatred for Scabbers; Harry didn't like adding Padfoot to the list because the dog was extremely fond of Harry and vice versa, but Ron insisted it was weird and Scabbers couldn't be to blame as he was old and well know so it must have been the _other_ animals fault. Second was the wide eyed and opened mouth look that Professor Lupin had given Kanda when he was walking the dog on a leash, and Kanda's knowing smirk that he gave in response; it should be noted that the trio was no longer the only one keeping a close eye on the second-years and their dog. Third was that, while the boys were happy to hang around them when they were all in the common room, they seemed extremely well adapt to avoiding Harry and the others when it came to them trying to catch them unawares.

Other than those, rather minor in comparison to some things that went on around the school, variations the boys were model students.

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Remus Lupin looked at the letters and photos sitting on his desk. He had just seen Sirius Black, or Padfoot as he and his friends had known him and as the black haired child had introduced him, sitting in the school corridor pretending to be a familiar. He had just come from a very unsatisfactory meeting with the Headmaster where he tried to convince the man that a mass murder was masquerading as said familiar. The headmaster had smiled, nodded, said he would "take care of it" and evicted him from the office. When he arrived at his own office he had found an envelope addressed to him, the contents were probably the most shocking news he had ever heard.

One of the things it contained a clipping from the _Daily Prophet_ with a one toed rat circled in red, a very familiar one toed rat that he thought had been dead for twelve years. Another was a letter detailing events that he had no idea about, and a plan that would help him get revenge for one friend and clear the name of another.

All he had to do was keep silent; and he could do that, couldn't he?

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They were walking from Transfiguration after the not so successful attempt to convince Professor McGonagall to let Harry to go to Hogsmead. Harry was not so subtly mopping when Hermione made a rather relevant comment in an attempt to cheer him up.

'Well think of it this way, Harry, Allen and Kanda are only second years so they won't be going either. This means you can try and figure then out while it's just the three of you.'

Harry wasn't so sure that was better than going to Hogsmead with his friends, but decided not to comment.

The week of the Hogsmead visit came and Harry dutifully tried to track down the Duo of Black and White (as he and his friends had taken to calling them when they weren't around) but failed rather spectacularly. Padfoot was sitting in front of the fire and came over for a pat, but the other two were nowhere to be seen.

Cursing to himself he sat down with Padfoot, at least he didn't abandon him to go have fun. Eventually he decided to walk around the school with the dog, which led to an interesting encounter with Professor Lupin.

Of course, that day was Halloween, and wouldn't be complete without _something_ going wrong if you followed the pattern of the last two years. While many people could argue that missing Hogsmead and not being able to investigate would be bad enough, fate saw fit to prove them wrong as Harry was forced to miss the feast due to being the hospital wing with a broken leg after an unfortunate tripping hex caused him to fall down the stairs on his way to the hall.

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	4. Prisoner of Azkaban part 3

**so, this story is officially male on male pairings with this chapter, sorry, was trying to avoid it but it plays into the larger story line, that I have yet to write.**

The Quidditch game was something Harry was looking forward to, it took his mind of the duo of black and white, their new and incredible friendly dog, and the fact that no one had seen or heard anything from Black since the beginning of the school term.

Unfortunately things didn't go quiet as planned thanks to the intervention of the Dementors.

He was glad that of the hundred Dementors down below only some of them were interested in him, it was still enough to make him faint however. As he passed out and started hearing the screaming again, he couldn't help noticing that the other Dementors seemed to be very interested in something else.

It was only when he woke up in the hospital wing surrounded by his friends and saw the second person sitting on a bed and completely unresponsive that he realised what, or who, they had been so interested in.

Allen Walker.

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Kanda was watching Harry chase a Snitch when he suddenly felt cold, he turned just in time to see a crowd of Dementors swarming the pitch.

Dementors that were homing in on his Moyashi.

Kanda cursed, none of the teachers had noticed where the Dementors attention was fixed; they were distracted by something else. Beside him he felt the Moyashi suddenly go limp and heard Sirius start whining, neither would be any help. He briefly spared a thought to be grateful that Maria had waited in the dormitory, not wanting to put up with the cold and rainy weather, before he put his mind to more important things.

 _Happy thoughts, happy thoughts; try and stay conscious._ He could feel the images starting to niggle away at him; the sounds and smells starting encroach onto his consciousness. _Think of Moyashi smiling,_ the image of Allen Walker grimacing in pain tried to eclipse this thought.

The Dementors were getting closer, Moyashi wasn't moving. If someone didn't notice soon then cover or not he would have to cast a Patronus.

Finally, the teachers noticed that many of the Dementors were stalking the stands, he vaguely heard them casting spells to try and block the Dementors from their path, but they weren't strong enough. The incomplete Patronus that had been cast was not enough to deter the Dementors from the beacon that was the Moyashi's suffering.

It was enough, however, to clear Kanda's head and disguise his own.

He thought about the Moyashi, Allen Walker, and the first time he had held him properly. He held the memory of the first time they had been one, in every sense, that night under the stars. That was the memory he used to cast his perfect Patronus just as that scaly hand came out from under the cloak to tilt Allen's head back and another grabbed it's hood in order to kiss him.

The _thing_ reared back and left with the others to go and talk to Dumbledore, but the only thing he was worried about was Allen, his Moyashi with his eyes wide open and unseeing. He didn't have time to worry; he had to get his Allen to the Hospital Wing.

He gathered the boy into his arms, and felt his stomach turn at the way he head rolled to the side, his body limp against his chest. Only _one_ of the teachers and the students directly beside them had noticed, it appeared that Allen wasn't the only one affected. When they saw that he was already taking charge they left him to it and concentrated on the other person.

Madam Pomfrey went almost as white as Allen when she realised just how bad the boy was, Kanda hadn't noticed but his cursed eye had started crying blood as well.

The woman started talking about St. Mungose and preparing chocolate for Harry when he finally woke up as Kanda started carefully removing Allen's robes; revealing the loose dark grey cloths he had on underneath. He then sat in front of him and held his hands as he waited for him to come to, which was also when the teachers finally understood from Madam Pomfrey that their "chosen one" wasn't the worst one off, and came to talk to him about what had happened.

This would be fun.

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As Harry's friends came to tend to him, Dumbledore and the other teachers turned to the bed not too far away on which Allen Walker was sitting. The boy was so frighteningly pale that it made his scar and the streak of blood on his cheek stand out like they never had before. His eyes were open, but glazed in a way that made it obvious that he wasn't seeing them; instead he was locked in a world of nightmares, and they must be bad to induce a reaction like this.

Dumbledore didn't know which of his emotions was more prevalent; the idea that anyone would have experience something so bad to cause this, or that they had been forced to relive it because those damn Dementors insisted on disobeying him. They had nearly killed Harry, but Professor Flitwick had reported that one of them had nearly _kissed_ Allen, and that was worst then death.

But looking at the boy part of him wondered if maybe they had, indeed, managed to do so.

'Mr Kanda,' Madam Pomfrey began, 'you need to return to your dormitory, the nurses from St. Mungose will be here soon to pick him up.'

'I'm not going anywhere, and neither is he.' Dumbledore, and the other teachers, were slightly surprised by his flat out refusal.

It was Hermione who spoke from her place next to Harry's bed, the other students had finally realised there was something drastically wrong with the second year.

'Kanda, you have to see that he needs treatment. Madam Pomfrey is saying that it would be better for him if they take him to the hospital.'

'There's no point; he'll wake up in a few hours anyway, besides, he'll panic if I'm not there when he does.' They looked at him, he said it so calmly.

'Has this happened before?' Lupin asked.

'Why do you think we had to be escorted onto school grounds surrounded by Patronus?' he had such a sarcastic tilt to his voice, the words were dripping venom. 'Dementors are drawn to those that have suffered, he acts like a beacon. What, you thought the scar was a fashion statement did you?'

Dumbledore remembered the way they had reacted when he had informed them that the school would be surrounded by Dementors as a precaution. While they had hinted that they had never ridden the train, that was when they flat out refused to do so that year.

Though he noticed that Kanda had never actually answered the question.

They had many questions for Kanda, there so much they needed to know about in regard to what had happened, but Madam Pomfrey decided to intervene. She noticed that Kanda was paler than normal as well and handed him chocolate before telling the teachers that they could come back later and pulling the curtains closed.

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Harry was in the middle of trying to go back to sleep when he heard the scream. When he looked over at Allen it was obvious the boy was the cause of the noise.

He had thrown himself at Kanda, into the other boy's arms with his head pressed into the crook of his neck as the (slightly) taller boy cradled the back of his skull and rubbed his lower back and murmured words he couldn't quite make out as the scream turned into heat breaking sobs.

Madam Pomfrey came out with a shocked look on her face, and something that may have been relief when she noticed that Allen was actually conscious. She placed a block of chocolate on the bed side table with a meaningful look at Kanda before she disappeared, probably to tell the headmaster that the boy was actually alive. Ron had relayed the conversation that had happened while he was unconscious.

Finally the sobbing stopped and Kanda started force feeding the boy chocolate. Dumbledore came in and told Madam Pomfrey that the boys were to be sent to his office as soon as they were well enough.

As night approached, and throughout the rest of the nights that followed during the time he was forced to stay in the hospital wing, Harry couldn't help noticing that while his friends were made to leave the only thing she asked of Kanda was that he not put his shoes on the bed.

And if his nightmares were bad, it was nothing compared to waking up listening to Allen's screams so eerily echoing his mother's.

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'I know that what happens when a Dementor attacks can be considered a personal thing for some, but you will understand that I need answers in order to insure the school is safe. I also need something to explain what happened to the other teachers.' Dumbledore's voice was calm and steady, something that surprised even him.

This was the first time the boys had been in his office by invitation, both were sitting down and Allen was still pale. It seemed that Kanda would be the one to answer him that day.

'Easy, Moyashi has some things in his past that would drive a man insane, and did when they first occurred. Dementors, being the disgusting things they are, sense that and seek him out. Normally Moyashi can keep these things at bay and seem normal by clinging to every other good thing in his life, Dementors make that impossible. Once the Dementors attack he loses the ability to remember what "good" even means, so he goes into a catatonic state where he relives every bad memory he has, and he has a lot of them. This goes on until something brings him out of it, what that something is I can't tell you, but it's not a danger to the school.'

'And the bloody tears, what caused that? It has some of the students very stirred up, especially those that come from religious muggle families.'

Now Kanda hesitated, looking at Allen Walker for guidance and waiting for the nod that he received.

'Last year Moyashi told you about the Hoarcrux, and that a soul was manipulating that girl, the bloody tear sort of ties in with that.'

'Can you be a little more specific, please?'

'The scar on his eye is a curse that allows him to see the souls of those misplaced, that includes the ones your Dementors consume. The images are so horrific and the souls so tortured that the only way the cures can react is to cause pain and start bleeding, resulting in blood tears.'

Dumbledore felt sick, the idea of being able to _see_ those that Dementors had consumed …

Kanda stood up, apparently understanding that he wasn't in much of a fit state to continue the conversation.

'If the nurse asks what caused the trauma tell her Moyashi was kidnapped and tortured as a child by muggles. Tell her she can see the scars if she likes.'

With those last words the dark haired child left with a surprisingly submissive Allen.

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Harry watched as Malfoy mimicked falling off a broom, unfortunately so did Allen and Kanda. They were also, unfortunately, there when Malfoy decided to do an impression of being brain dead; calling them "unamused" would be like calling an Alligator a small reptile.

'Mr Malfoy,' Allen suddenly called across the room, 'I do believe I told you what I thought of people who made fun of things they do not understand, but seeing as you have forgotten over the last few months maybe I should give you another lesson that leaves more of an impression? Think carefully about your answer, I would hate for you to lose your miraculously healed arm.' No one was quite sure what was scarier, the obvious threat or the fact that it was delivered with a smile.

'Are you threatening me? My father will hear of this!' Malfoy spluttered.

'Normally I would say no I am not, however, I am rather irate at the moment and am not thinking clearly. And I wouldn't rely on the powers of others so often, Mr Malfoy, or you may end up dragging them along with you into waters were all of you are unable to swim.'

No one knew quite what to say to that, not even Malfoy, though it didn't stop him from trying to regain control of the situation.

'So, since I failed to learn, how were you intending to make it stick? It's not like you can actually do anything. Besides, what are you going to do to my arm, break it? Madam Pomfrey would have it fixed in seconds.'

'I was thinking of showing you exactly what you would have to survive in order to react the way you were imitating just now in the presence of Dementors. If I was to use your body to give a physical demonstration I think you would get though about half before your heart gave out. If I was to use the transfer of memories, more likely as I would never inflict much of that on any human no matter how disgusting, I believe you would get through a third before the cost of the therapy required to allow you to appear even semi-sane again would equal your parents' entire fortune.' Everyone was shivering now, and Allen still hadn't stopped smiling.

'Your insane,' Malfoy gasped as he gaped like a fish, and he was as pale as the belly of one too.

'Currently? Yes I am; you would be too if you had been forced to relive the worst parts of your life, of which I have many. So I suggest that you don't test me at the moment, I will not be held responsible for my reactions.'

No one mentioned the Dementors, or how people reacted, in Allen's presence ever again. Most because they didn't understand what he was talking about (Harry and Ron), and a few because they knew the enormity of what he was not so subtly hinting at.

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When Harry was discussing Dementors with Professor Lupin, Allen came up twice. The first time was when they were talking about the effect a Dementor had, the second was when they were talking about why they were at the match.

'And the worst that has happened to you, Harry, is enough to make anyone fall of their broom. You have nothing to be ashamed of.'

Harry bit his lip before telling Lupin what it was he heard, but before the man could react he kept talking.

'If they do that to me, if they force me relive my parents deaths and make me pass out, then what must Allen relive to make him go the way he does? How bad would it have to be?'

Lupin looked even more sick than he had when Harry had mentioned hearing Lily as she murdered.

'I wouldn't even try to guess, and I would not want to be the one to experience it. Something to make you react like that … it would break a person.'

'Why did they have to come to the match?' Harry knew he sounded angry, he was for so many reasons.

Lupin explained, then, about them being hungry, but then he added something more.

'They feed off happy emotion and are attracted by the bad; Mr Kanda, you know Allen's friend, he said that Allen has a past so horrible that it acts like a beacon, and if he has enough happy memories to keep him somewhat sane I am not surprised. Between the two the match would have been irresistible.'

From there they talked about Azkaban and fighting Dementors, but the conversation never really left his mind

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	5. Prisoner of Azkaban part 4

Even as Harry conversed with the twins he couldn't help thinking that one of the Messrs had the same name as Kanda's familiar. The question got even more confusing when he bumped into someone on his way through the tunnel.

As he was walking around a particularly sharp turn he ran straight into Yuu Kanda who was coming from the other direction, who then was run into the back of by Allen Walker.

'What the hell?' the Japanese boy exclaimed.

'Harry?' asked a rather startled Allen once he had his feet back under him. 'What are you doing here?'

'I could ask you the same question,' Harry mumbled, suddenly remembering that the boys had been absent the last time the weekend had been held.

'Found out last year that the one behind the mirror was blocked.' Kanda stated in reply.

Harry could only stare at them. They were second years, they didn't even get permission notes until they were in third, yet Kanda spoke so calmly about the other passage that was blocked and claimed to have known since the year before?

'You … know about the passages?'

'Course, how else would we have snuck out every Hogsmead Weekend last year? Though we nearly didn't make the first one, too busy stuffing around with the other sealed tunnel.'

Harry was gobsmacked.

'If that's all, we need to get back to feed Padfoot. Nice seeing you, Harry.' And with that comment, said by Allen, they were disappearing again, back the way Harry had come.

Harry continued his trip in a bit of a daze.

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The duo was brought to Harry's mind a lot sooner than expected, in the form of the conversation between the teachers and the Minister when the subject of Dementors was breached. At first they had just been discussing Blacks ability to just disappear after his escape, and also that they were sure he would turn up eventually, when the conversation turned to ones that were hunting him.

'I should think not. How are we supposed to teach with those horrors floating around? Besides, didn't you get the owl that Dumbledore sent?' McGonagall looked rather surprised.

'What owl was that, Minerva dear?' this was news to Fudge.

'Those things tried to Kiss one of the students! The boy was only a second year.'

'That's ridiculous, why would it do that? Was the boy doing something at the time?'

'He was watching a Quidditch match. According to his friend they seek him out because he has a lot of trauma in his past. When they came near the boy went, what's the muggle term, Catatonic.'

'What would a twelve year old have to experience to have a reaction that bad?'

'Dumbledore knows,' Flitwick suddenly spoke up, 'and Poppy, but both say that they will keep the boys' confidence. Whatever it was it must have been bad to cause a reaction like that, in them and in him.'

'We'll all the same,' Fudge muttered, 'they are here to protect you all from something much worse …'

Soon after Harry forgot all his questions such as what it meant to be "kissed" by a Dementor because of the rather infuriating things he was about to learn about the man these people were chasing.

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As much as the three had tried to investigate the duo over the last months they had had no success. Anything that came up was more a tease than a help, asking more questions and answering none. It didn't help that they had so many things to do, Sirius getting out, his past – and now apparent disappearance, homework, looking up Hagrid's case, and so many other little things that Allen and Kanda got pushed to the back on their minds. They didn't even notice, at first, that they had stayed for the Christmas holidays, until Christmas morning that was.

Despite claiming that they would be friends at the beginning of the school year they had really done a terrible job at it, though Harry still found a measure of comfort from Padfoot sitting at his feet in the common room.

As they were all sitting down for Christmas lunch, just the fourteen of them, Professor Trelawney decided to show up. She mumbled something about crystal gazing as she looked around the room, when her eyes fell on Kanda and Allen her face went blank.

For Harry it was a rather curious thing to watch, and also incredibly frightening. She lost all expression on her face and her eyes started to roll back in her head as her whole body went ridged and looked like it was about to collapse in on itself. None of the students knew what to do and the teachers looked like they were in shock at her sudden behaviour.

Then she started speaking, her voice was harsh and loud and so completely different from normal people couldn't quite believe it was her.

' _The destroyer of time shall be needed again. When one war ends another dawns, as is the cycle. Someone stirs the coals that shall burn the world, and ghosts shall rise again. Only he who destroys time, who alters what has been and what should be, only he and the family that follows can prevent our utter destruction. Only the … clown can … save … us … all …_ '

Professor Trelawney trailed off, for a moment it looked like she was about to come out of her trance, then suddenly she was exactly like she had been at the beginning and she started to speak once more.

' _It will happen in the new year. The dark lord lies alone and friendless, abandoned by his followers. His servant has been chained these twelve years. In the new year, before the first month dies, the servant will break free and set out to re-join his master. The dark lord will rise again with his servant's aid, greater and more terrible than ever before. The new year … before the first month dies … the servant … will set out … to re-join … his master…'_

Her head fell forward and then she was looking at them all in confusion, they intern looked at her as if they were having a fly catching competition with their mouths.

'What did you just say?' Professor McGonagall finally managed to gasp out.

'That I saw myself coming here while crystal ball gazing.' Professor Trelawney stated, as if she thought McGonagall had gone quite mad.

'No, after that.' McGonagall said a bit more sharply than she intended. Now Trelawney was looking at her as if she was positive that she had lost it. If Harry hadn't been so spooked by what had just happened he would have thought it funny.

'I didn't say anything after that. I only just finished telling you that, so I haven't had time to say anything else. Are you sure you maybe haven't had a bit too much to drink, Dear?' now everyone was once again having a fly catching competition. Harry didn't know which statement they found more shocking. Finally Snape decided that someone should fill the pour woman in, an unprecedented display of kindness from Harry's perspective.

'You appear to have given us a prophesy, two in fact. It is quite normal for seers to not remember making such predictions. Maybe you should sit down? I imagine foretelling such absolute doom must be tiring.' Snape sneered as he offered her his chair, a rather startled looking seer graciously accepted.

'I believe we should finish eating rather quickly. After lunch I shall need to see all the teachers in my office to discuss what we have just been told, and to inform the ministry of these rather disturbing predictions.' Harry couldn't help thinking that Trelawney looked rather smug at the thought of her predictions being disturbing.

After lunch Harry he was justified in being mad at Professor McGonagall and Hermione for finding time to confiscate his broom despite the massive events that had happened.

He also thought that maybe they should start putting more effort into investigation the black and white duo. After all, that was where Trelawney was looking when she first started to make prophesies, and while it may have been coincidence he didn't think so.

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Dumbledore walked away from his office and sighed. While the second prophesy could be taken as straight forward, none of the teachers had a clue as to what the first had been about. No one knew anything about this "Destroyer of Time" or this war he would be vital for. The only comfort they could get was that, by the sound of it, this war would only begin once the one with Voldemort had ended.

It was as he was strolling around that he came across a rather interesting scene. Allen Walker was sitting against a wall and either raging or sobbing, he couldn't tell, and getting comforted by Yuu Kanda and the Ghosts of the castle. None of them noticed him.

'I am retired; they can't do this to me. I'm way too old for these shenanigans. And what kind of idiot would stoke those coals? And if it's so soon how come I didn't know about it sooner? Damn those idiots, higher powers be damned just let me retire in peace!'

Nicholas seemed to be the first one to react to this last statement.

'Unfortunately, Mr Walker, destiny was never one to accept the retirement of her pawns. Look at us! We're dead and buried yet still we continue to impact the lives of young wizards while we haunt the school.'

Allen mumbled something that sounded like "I'm older than you" but Dumbledore managed to convince himself that he had merely miss heard.

'Besides, Allen,' the Grey Lady was the surprising contributor this time, 'You have long been marked as the saviour, and you cannot abandon the world now in its time of need.'

'The world needs a new fucking saviour.' The boy growled; Dumbledore was shocked at the inappropriate word passing the polite boys lips.

Kanda just laughed.

'They have one, Moyashi, Harry Potter remember? But it needs one that's not human to deal with the threats that surpass mortal comprehension. Or are you too thick to understand that?'

'I am not thick, Bakanda! I am smarter than you.'

Just then the meeting was interrupted by Peeves loud call and the arrival of him and Moaning Myrtle. Kanda suddenly had a wicked gleam in his eyes that over the months of unannounced visits the Headmaster had learnt to associate with trouble.

'I found her, Master Kanda,' said an unusually demure Peeves. 'I brought her just like you asked.'

'Excellent. Moyashi, meet Moaning Myrtle, I don't believe she was here the last time we attended. She's relatively new, only died about fifty years ago.'

Allen looked up with his brightest smile and held out a hand. 'It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Myrtle. I am sorry for not introducing myself sooner, but I make it a habit not to enter Girls bathrooms.'

Myrtle stared at the offending hand as if thinking that he was obviously trying to insult her by rubbing in the fact that she was dead. Eventually deciding to humour the boy she reached out in the greeting of her childhood when she was still living among living Muggles.

The look on her face when living flesh met her Ghostly hand was something that Dumbledore would not likely forget. The look of rapture Myrtle had as she felt, for the first time in five decades, the warmth from the hand of another being.

The conversation then turned to Ghost facts, how she enjoyed the castle, and what changes she had observed as time moved on, needless to say that Allen was distracted from his mopping.

Dumbledore couldn't help noticing that Harry was hiding just around a different corner, listening to every word that was said after he finished his own mopping about his broom.

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Maria glared at the few Gryffindor students when they finally arrived back to the common room sometime after lunch. Calling her unhappy would be an understatement after being left alone in a room for the majority of the day.

The snake refused to consider herself clingy, she wasn't, but the person who she currently considered her primary carer seemed incredibly prone to attracting trouble when she wasn't around to keep him out of it. After the incident where she had decided not to put up with cold and stormy weather just to watch insignificant humans being unnecessarily competitive, only to find out that the one humans considered her owner was in the hospital, she was seriously considering who exactly was the carer in their interactions.

As one of the insignificant humans that she was currently having to live in close proximity with drifted through the door, strangely not with the other two he was usually so close to, Maria was also felt the need to affirm that she was _not_ conceited, humans were conceited. Maria was a snake created from magic, her very being an entity above human understanding. The child that created her was an idiot, but that did not detract from her brilliance, his failure to understand just what he was messing with merely demoted him to a pawn in a greater scheme, rather than a genius that might have created said scheme.

But she _wasn't_ arrogant, it didn't count if you actually deserved your place above the rest of the masses, and nothing anyone else tried to tell her would ever convince her otherwise. And the idiot children that smelled of fear near her were just ignorant of her brilliant.

The child currently approaching her, however, never smelled like fear, of course he never showed her the respect she deserved either. He was a speaker, she had known that since her creation, but he was also insolent in his lack of respect to her, and more importantly to the only person she was ever willing to admit might be above even her brilliance.

But, currently, that wasn't what she should be concerned about, what she should be concerned about was the fact that the only two people that she could stand to be around were not back, even though the rest of the children that had left that morning were.

For a short second the insolent one smelled like indecision, but then the Annoyance that she had been left behind to baby sit ran up to him and any hesitation he may have experience disappeared with the thing's appearance.

And she was alone with her worry again as Allen and Kanda continued to fail to come back to her. She was different, a creature made of magic, she was above the masses and as such she knew exactly who they were. Magic was all she was, something that should never have lasted so long or ever be capable of independent thought other than the single purpose she was created for before vanishing as the illusion of life that she had been.

Yes, she thought as the two people who were very late finally arrived, she knew how it was that the miracle of her existence continued after the mistake of an idiot had been corrected. She was created of magic, and as such she could sense things that were beyond most mortal's comprehension.

Because it wasn't the brilliance of her existence that made her so above the rest, it was the people she had been given the opportunity to serve, and that was why she would try to protect them in any way they would let her.

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 **an: I am not sure I am happy with this chapter, but then I am not sure I am happy with most of what I have written for this book**


	6. Prisoner of Azkaban part 5

**An; parts of this are taken from the book, but they happened at a different time and in a slightly different way so I feel the need to keep them where before I was trying to only include things that had changed drastically.**

When the first day of school arrived Harry and Ron still weren't talking to Hermione, however they were still all at the table for breakfast with Allen and Kanda before lessons started, along with the rest of the school. Harry was mildly surprised at the sheer number of students that had managed to drag themselves out of bed that early in the morning. Normally Breakfast was a staggered affair as people woke up at different times before the first lesson, some not even managing to eat before they had to rush out the door. Today proved to be the exception to the norm as most, if not all, of the students were present and eating thirty minutes before they needed to start heading to the class rooms.

'Ron, you can't put a rat on the table while everyone is eating, even Scabbers!' Hermione's voice brought Harry out of his mussing. Ron ignored her, like he had for the last couple of weeks, and took the wiggling animal out of his pocket and put him next to plate of food he had set aside for him to eat. Turning to Harry he explained.

'He's so thin, he needs to eat something healthy, try and fatten him up.'

As soon as he finished speaking Allen, who was next to him, murmured words that sounded horrifically like "about time" and Kanda drew his wand.

That was when everything went to hell.

Scabbers saw the wand and started running down the table. Ron started swearing at Kanda for frightening his rat. People started screaming as the rodent ran between their plates; plates were smashed as people jerked back in shock. A light flew from Kanda's wand but no words were spoken, a light that somehow managed to hit the running rat, hit him and make him change …

The whole room froze. Instead of a rat on the table a grubby little man lay among the broken plates and cups. Short and washed out in colour, something about his nose and eyes still resembled Scabbers, something about how filthy he was reminded Harry of dirty fur. He looked like a previously fat man that had lost weight rapidly, he was going bald, and all these things reminded Harry of the Rat this man had just changed from.

'Peter.' The word broke the silence that had descended when the frantic scrabbling had ceased. Lupin was standing up at the table, looking at the man in with horror showing in his eyes, an expression that was mirrored in the eyes of all the teachers.

The rat man, Peter, looked up from his position on the table and started speaking. 'R-Remus … my friend … my old friend …'

'How are you alive, Peter? Sirius killed you.' Remus was still the only one talking; no one else seemed able to interrupt the reunion.

'I escaped, I went into hiding! I knew Sirius would come for me when he realised I was alive.'

'Why would he come after you, Peter? Were you not the one who hunted him down for revenge? Was he not the spy you wanted to kill? And how would he come for you? He was in Azkaban; no one had ever escaped form Azkaban before.'

'He's got Dark powers the rest of us can only dream of! How else would he get out of there? I suppose He Who Must Not Be Named taught him a few tricks!'

'You didn't answer my question, Peter, why would he come after you, why would an innocent man go into hiding after failing to kill the person who murdered their friends?

'Unless there's something we don't know, unless you were to one who betrayed Lilly and James, unless you were the spy.'

No one was breathing at this stage.

'Me, a spy … must be out of your mind … never … don't know how you can say such a thing.' Peter started mumbling.

'I should have thought it strange, we thought there was someone sneaking around within our inner circle. Sirius, for all his brash misbehaviour and ridiculously dangerous or deadly plans, was never one to _sneak_. You on the other hand … you always hung around people who were stronger and could look after you. Who better than Voldemort (Peter flinched), the strongest dark wizard who was gaining more power, to curry favour from?'

'But Sirius was the secret keeper! I couldn't have betrayed them if I wanted to, which I didn't!' despite his protests the man was getting pale and sweaty.

'There was a spy, we knew that. It would be just like Sirius to suggest this kind of bluff. Everyone would come after him and no one would suspect someone like you. I know it never crossed anyone's mind that you would be a spy, you weren't considered talented enough.

'And I have another question, Peter, if you were between Sirius and the muggles how is it that they all died and you escaped with nothing but a missing finger as an injury? A finger, now that I think about it, which was rather cleanly severed …'

If the man had been pale before he now looked like he was about to pass out.

'This is preposterous! If I was working for He Who Must Not Be Named why haven't I killed Harry yet in the three years I've known him?'

'Voldemort isn't the biggest bully in the playground anymore. When you showed your betrayal last time it was only as he was eliminating his final obstacle. And when that back fired you famed the only one who knew and faked your death. Of course, I may be wrong, but I assume there are quite a few people in the Ministry that would like to talk to you, and Veritaserium is such a handy truth potion.'

Peter's eyes went wide and he started blubbering and cowering.

'I never meant it to happen, what could I have done? The Dark Lord … you have no idea … he has weapons you can't imagine … I was scared, Remus, I was never like you three. I really didn't mean to … He Who Must Not Be Named forced me …'

'There was a spy for over a year before the Potters died, or are you saying there were two traitors and you were just the one that signed their death certificate?'

'He would have killed me!'

'Like you killed those muggles? You have a lot of crimes to answer for, Peter, luckily there are some Dementors at the gate and I am sure they would love to meet you.' Harry had never heard his teacher's voice go so cold. But then again, if he understood correctly, the four of them; Peter, lupin, Sirius and his Father had all been friends at school. If that was true then Peter's betrayal must have been especially hard one for him.

Suddenly the look in Peter's eyes changed, there went from fearful to cunning in a matter of seconds. 'You'll have to catch me first.' And with that he had turned back into a rat and was scampering away.

'Catch that rat!' the loud shout was Professor McGonagal, the first person other than the two "friends" to have spoken in a long time.

There was a massive scramble of hands, feet and spells as students and teachers alike were released from their trance and raced to catch the mass murderer that had been in there midst for years. The scramble was for nothing, unfortunately, as the small body managed to squirm down a whole in the stone blocks of the floor.

After the frantic movement had calmed down Professor Dumbledore's voice rang throughout the great Hall. 'Students are to be escorted back to their dormitories by their heads of house. The rest of the teachers are to follow me to my office while I contact the ministry. It is possible that we will all be required to answer questions regarding what has just happened, so I beg you all not to wonder off. Classes are obviously cancelled.'

With that the student got up from there house tables and followed in the wake of their teachers, prefects scattered along the length of the line to make sure everyone was doing as they were told. The Gryffindor house encountered problems, however, as twice Ron suddenly went white when something about the situation suddenly occurred to him and he started vomiting. Or the first time he vomited, the second time it was only dry heaving. Still, both times the whole line had to be held up as they had been instructed not to separate.

'Have you figured it out yet, Harry?' Allen's quiet voice rang in his ear and he had to try and keep himself from jumping.

'Figured what out?'

'The second Prophesy that Professor Trelawney gave us at Christmas, do you understand it now?'

Harry had to try and keep from fainting when he realised what it was that Allen was saying. When they opened the portrait Padfoot was waiting for them near the fire, and Harry soon found himself with his face berried in the dogs fur. He briefly wondered if this Familiar was also an Animagus; then realised that he didn't really care so long as he never mentioned the water coming from his eyes.

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Three days after the incident classes had started again in an attempt to return a semblance of normalcy. It was then that the article was published in the Daily Prophet, an article that consisted solely of a letter.

 _Dear Wizarding World_

 _For some of you who are reading this the information given will be completely new. Not many people knew, after all, that the Potters were in hiding from Voldemort at the time of their deaths, or that they did it using a Fidelius Charm. For others this information will contradict what you thought you knew about the events from twelve years ago._

 _Over the last few months many questions have been asked about my sanity and the reason I escaped Azkaban twelve years after betraying my friends the Potters to Voldemort and then killing my other friend Peter Pettigrew along with twelve muggles as a servant of the dark lord. In the last few days more questions have been asked after the confirmed sighting of a living Pettigrew by hundreds of students and multiple Teachers, and the conversation that resulted._

 _The first thing you should know is that I was never the Potters' secrete keeper._

 _Just before the Fidelius charm was cast it was decided that that honour would go to Peter, however no one would be told about the switch. The plan was that Peter would never be tortured for the information because everyone would believe that I was the one that had it; and that I could never divulge the information when tortured because I couldn't. We knew of a spy within our friend group and this is why the plan was never told to anyone, not even Remus. This plan was my idea, something I would come to regret._

 _The second thing many of you already know, or suspect, which is that Peter Pettigrew is an unregistered Animagus rat. James and I were also unregistered Animagi, and I will register as soon as I deem it safe to do so._

 _The third thing I am sure many of you are wondering about, is why I allowed myself to be locked up when I was innocent. The reason is that part of me believed I deserved it. I got the Potters killed. I insisted, in my ignorance, that Peter be the secrete keeper. I believed that someone so pathetic would never be suspected, and I was right, I never suspected he was the spy we were looking for._

 _The other reason was that I may not have succeeded in killing Peter, but I intended to. When I walked into the house to find my friends dead I knew he had betrayed us, I went out of my mind in grief. I tracked him down to a crowded street and, witnesses or no witnesses, I was going to kill him. Before I could, however, he cast his own curse and vanished; leaving only a finger and a street full of corpses. I assumed that he had been killed in a backfiring curse while trying to eliminate me, he was never good at casting spells, or at least he pretended he wasn't. I believed this right up until a few months ago when his picture turned up in the Daily Prophet, with an article stating that he was at Hogwarts with my God Son. It was this that drove me to escape._

 _I should probably add that the reason Peter faked his death and hid as a pet rat wasn't to avoid me, it was to avoid the other supporters of Voldemort. You hear things, in Azkaban, Death Eaters screaming in their sleep about how they would kill Peter if he wasn't already dead because it was his information that lead Voldemort to his doom. Not all the Death eaters that suffered a fall of power are locked up._

 _For those of you asking how I got out of Azkaban, and I suspect some would like to believe Peter was right and I used Dark Magic, I have sent a separate letter the ministry explaining exactly how I managed it, so that the breach of security may be fixed, however I doubt the method I used will ever be made public knowledge._

 _I will say this in regards to some questions,_ _I think the only reason I never lost my mind is that I knew I was innocent. That wasn't a happy thought, so the Dementors couldn't suck it out of me, but it kept me sane and knowing who I am and helped me keep my powers so that when it all became too much I could transform in my cell and become my Animagus form._

 _When I saw Peter in that picture I realized he was at Hogwarts with Harry, perfectly positioned to act, if one hint reached his ears that the Dark Side was gathering strength again, ready to strike at the moment he could be sure of allies and deliver the last Potter to them. If he gave them Harry, who'd dare say he'd betrayed Lord Voldemort? He'd be welcomed back with honours. So you see, I had to do something. I was the only one who knew Peter was still alive. It was as if someone had lit a fire in my heart, the Dementors couldn't destroy it because it wasn't a happy feeling but an obsession, and it gave me strength and cleared my mind._

 _Once I escaped I was greeted by someone who knew I was innocent, though I don't know how, who promised to help me protect Harry and find a way to prove my innocence._

 _Believe me; I never betrayed James and Lily. I would have died before I betrayed them._

 _I will not hand myself over to the ministry a second time for a crime I didn't commit knowing that that person is still at large and still a danger to my God Son. I will remain in hiding until that man is dead or the ministry comes to a decision about my sentencing that is not made for the soul purpose of covering this incident up. I will send a representative who will negotiate on me behalf, and I will agree to any punishment this person deems appropriate._

 _Until then, your sincerely_

 _Sirius Black_

Hermione and Ron looked at Harry after they had finished re-reading. Harry looked only at Padfoot. Kanda and Allen sat a little way away, observing from a distance. Nobody could stop talking about what that article would mean if it was true, nobody but the trio. Harry had said nothing since he read it, and Ron hadn't said anything since his rat had turned out to be a mass murderer. The argument over the broom looked like a ridiculous thing now that they thought about.

Hermione, Hermione wasn't stupid, and neither was Harry. While researching things for Hagrid's case with Buckbeak Hermione had told them about Lupin, soon after Harry had become even more attached to Padfoot than before. Hermione suspected that he knew something he wasn't saying, but just this once she would respect his privacy, what with Ron still being mute.

Now Harry was heading off for Anti-Dementor lessons with Lupin, they were still hanging around because of Peter, and Hermione wondered just what would happen.

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	7. Prisoner of Azkaban part 6

**An; I would like to say this is winding down, but the year is only half over and the trio isn't near as suspicious of Allen and Kanda as I would like. So this is the beginning of the second half of the third year.**

Lupin looked up as Harry walked into the History of Magic classroom, he noticed that "Padfoot" was walking at his heels. The boy looked slightly uncomfortable and he waited for him to tell him what was on his mind.

'I know,' he finally whispered, 'I know about you, what you are, Hermione figured it out from the essay and she told me and Ron. I also know, or suspect, who Mooney, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs were,' at this, Harry gave a pointed glance at the dog beside him, who looked rather sheepish.

Lupin was surprised to hear those names, seeing this Harry explained. 'I was given the Marauder's Map, Fred and George found it in their first year and gave it to me so I could sneak out to Hogsmead.' Lupin didn't really have words for that.

They sat in silence for a while before Lupin finally found his voice.

'Do you want to cancel this lesson? Or find someone else to teach it?' now it was Harry who looked startled.

'No, why?'

'Well, the Dementors will most likely be removed soon, and most people would be a little uncomfortable being taught by a werewolf.' Lupin was proud of how steady his voice was.

'What's that got to do with anything? Dementors will still be around no matter what, and I can't have a repeat of the last game, not that I have a boom, but still. And why would you being a werewolf change anything? You're the best teacher here, I just thought you should know that I knew, or something like that. It doesn't really matter.' The boy rambled a little, but then, Lupin thought he would to.

'Not even the bit about … Padfoot?' he watched as the dog hunkered down and tried to look innocent, something that was hard when you looked like that.

'I'm annoyed at the fact that he's lying, or lied, to me; and at some stage we are going to have a talk, but I can … understand, sort of, why he would.'

There was silence once again as they looked at the dog who seemed to considering something, eventually he started pawing at the collar. Once Harry had removed it he moved away a little and became a man before their very eyes. It was the man whose face was in the _Daily Prophet_ , but slightly healthier and defiantly cleaner, and his cloths looked fairly good. He would have been standing proudly except his glance at the door clearly displayed his anxiety. Then he looked at Harry and spoke.

'I don't want to lie, and your right we do need to talk, however my current … carer … will kill me if he finds out that I transformed without his permission, and will throw me to the ministry if I get caught.

'But before that, I have something I want you to think about before we have that talk.

'Your parents made me your god father, and they appointed me as the person to look after you if something were to happen to them. If, when, I get my name cleared properly … you can come live with me if you want; though I won't blame you if you don't.

'Just think carefully before you decide, though the offer will always stand.'

With that Sirius Black the man was once again Padfoot the dog. Harry carefully put the collar back on and the dog sat at his heals while he turned to Professor Lupin.

'So how are you going to teach me? And what's in the case?' Lupin looked slightly relieved as the conversation turned back to fairly normal topics.

'What's in the case is another Boggart. I've been combing the castle since Tuesday with no luck, in the end I asked Mr Walker since he "stole" the other. Strange boy that one; he even asked if I could return it.'

From there Lupin explained why the Boggart would work and what exactly he would have to do. Even as Harry was listening to what Lupin said he was thinking that he and the others needed to update their list

The first two times he failed spectacularly, both times he woke up to both Lupin and his God Father sitting over him watching him carefully. For the third time he thought carefully about the memory, and he found one he thought might work.

When the Boggart was released he created a _large_ silvery cloud that started to take a half form; antlers, hooves, something he suspected would become a stag.

 _Prongs_.

The Dementor ended up back in its box, and both Lupin and Padfoot looked at him in amazement.

He didn't tell him what he had chosen, just held it close. It wasn't even a memory, not really; it was the knowledge that there was a person who was actually willing to look after him, someone who had offered to take him away from the Dursley's for _good_. Even if Sirius didn't know how those people treated him he wanted _Harry,_ his God Son, and that was not a feeling he was used to.

It felt good.

Lupin didn't think he needed more lessons, but recommended he practice so he could cast one without the same level of drain, but to make sure he had supervision.

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Harry walked into the Gryffindor tower after his lesson to see Hermione hidden behind a tower of books and Ron sitting next to her in silence, it had become a common sight over the last two days. Now he joined them and pulled out a separate quill and parchment, but didn't start writing yet.

'I know we have a lot to do, Homework, Hagrid's case, and hopefully Quidditch,' he began, getting their attention. 'But last year we thought it would be best to keep an eye on Allen and Kanda, and I think it's time we actually attempted to do that.'

The other two looked at each other, after the scene with Peter Pettigrew and then getting swamped by homework the two had completely forgotten about Allen and Kanda.

'Are you sure Harry? I mean, no offence, Hermione, but I don't think you can take any more on your plate.'

Harry looked at them. 'We tried earlier in the year, and they managed to avoid us. I know it's possible that I'm over reacting, but can we just make a list now of what we know and then decide whether it's worth it or not?' He was trying to be calm, they could see it, but there was an edge of something in his voice that he couldn't quiet supress.

So they made a list of everything from the two years they knew them; when they finally looked at the finished product all of them where a little surprised at its length.

.

Conversation where they were discussing not being human

Survived looking directly into the eyes of a basilisk

Where not on the train so they had other means of transport (Hermione wanted to know how)

Allen wasn't effected by Boggarts and collected them ('Lupin borrowed one off him,' Harry informed them.)

Extreme reaction to Dementors meaning extreme trauma.

Admitted to being insane

Keeping Sirius Black as a pet dog (Hermione and Ron hadn't known about _that_ )

Were the ones that cast the spell to reveal Peter Pettigrew (Ron flinched at the mention of his former rat)

Cried blood (even Ron knew that that was weird.)

Avoided them expertly when they were trying to spy

Had been sneaking out to Hogsmead since they were first years (something Harry had forgotten to mention earlier)

Already knew all the secret passages even without a map

Were wired looking ( _"Ron!"_ Hermione said)

Dementors had tried to "kiss" Allen ('what the hell does that mean?' 'Shut it, Ron, we'll find out.')

Kanda insisted, and had been right, that Allen would wake up when it shouldn't have been possible. ('Did you both forget?')

That Professor Trelawney was looking at Allen and Kanda when she made the prophesies ('Hermione, she isn't just a fraud.')

Allen's reaction to the prophecies ('something about being retired, and the world needing a better saviour.')

.

Ron looked at the list, Hermione had long ago put away her books, and Harry was looking at them expectantly.

'I can't believe you didn't tell us that Padfoot was Black!' Hermione finally found her voice.

'I had other things on my mind, and I only figured it out once you told me what Lupin was!'

'How?' Ron asked.

'"Mooney, Padfoot, Wormtail and Prongs"' where the four names on the map, Lupin, Sirius, Peter and my Dad were good friends in school, Lupin was a werewolf; so "Mooney," the others were Animagi and I knew Peter was a rat ('stop flinching, Ron,' said Hermione.) so "Wormtail", when Lupin first saw Padfoot at the beginning of the year he looked horrified. Everything just fitted.'

'You could be wrong,' Hermione pointed out. 'It could be coincidence.'

'Except I confronted them in my lesson just now and they confirmed it.'

They sat in silence for a little while as they considered just how ridiculous everything was.

'But we do agree that this is a pretty ridiculous list? I mean, we would suspect others with just one of these incidents!' Harry brought the conversation back on topic.

'I agree Mate; we should look for them every chance we get.'

Somewhere else in the castle Kanda was turning Padfoot's collar pink for disobeying orders and transforming on school grounds.

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After Slytherin beat Ravenclaw things fell into an almost routine, a very busy one as Harry and Hermione had a lot on their plates. Harry was mostly concerned with his Quidditch and homework, reading books Hermione suggested to research information for Hagrid when he had time. Hermione concentrated on _all_ her homework, with the other two wondering how she got to all her classes, and looked up titles of relevant books for Harry and Ron to read when they had time. Ron, at first, just continued to look rather sick about "Scabbers" while doing the research for Hagrid; and then eventually tried to befriend Allen and Kanda when he had gotten over his rat.

Of course, every now and then there would be some rather large incidents of variety, but oh well, they were at least sort of getting things done.

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The first situation involved Harry, Hermione, Fred, George, and Ginny finally getting Ron to tell them exactly why he was so disturbed about the rat, and why it had been bad enough to throw up that first day.

They were not entirely sure how they felt about the answer.

'Come on Ronnykins,' Fred said, trying to sound understanding and failing. 'Just get over it! Your rat's not a rat and you need a new pet, he was a horrible rat anyway.'

'Yeah, Ron, you complained about him all the time! I don't see why your so upset.' chimed in George.

'You don't get it!' Ron exclaimed, slightly too loud for the great hall. 'I'm not upset that I lost my Rat! I'm upset that the thing that I cared about and looked after was a mass murderer and played a part in the deaths of my best friends Parents!' Harry had to admit that, when put that way, Ron had every right to his grief.

'Well it's not like you _knew_ ,' Hermione stated. 'And you weren't the only one; he was also Percy's rat for longer, so technically he was just as guilty of harbouring a criminal as you were.' Percy, who was sitting rather close, went white as a sheet when he heard that; Harry thought that he was probably worrying about his reputation.

'Did you have to say it like that?' Ron groaned as he put his head on the table.

'Ron,' Harry started, 'I liked Scabbers, so it shocks me very much that he was the reason my parents are dead. I don't hold it against you. Are you good now?' Harry said in that voice you use with little children. Ron spoke from his place on the table.

'I let him sleep in my bed. He was a dirty old man and I let him sleep in my bed because I thought he was a rat.' Ginny suddenly looked like she was going to be sick as the full implications of what Ron had said sunk in, and then so did everyone else who heard.

After that they decided that Ron had every right to his trauma, and that they would leave him to it.

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Another incident changed the routine slightly, but Harry was rather happy about this one.

McGonagall had given him back his Fire Bolt.

He was wondering around the halls when he ran into her, literally, and she handed him back the broom with a slight smile and a small explanation.

'In light of the recent … event, it was decided that it was unlikely that it was jinxed so we didn't look for anything too complex. However, because you didn't know who sent it to you we did do some checks for the basics, just in case. All turned up clean.

'Congratulations, Potter, this is a wonderful broom. You have a very good friend out there somewhere,' and with that she walked away.

As the broom got fawned over Harry looked at the dog standing by the fire, which happened to be looking very smug at that moment, and thought he did indeed have a very good friend.

He hoped the ministry made a decision soon; because he was rather looking forward to leaving the Dursley's house.

Another good thing was that Ron cheered up immensely after being allowed to ride the fantastic broom.

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 _OVA; letter to the editor_

'You can't write that.' Allen said as he read the bit of paper over Sirius's shoulder. Sirius looked up from his frantic scribbling.

'Why not?' Sirius asked, rather like an immature child.

'Because this will become an official document released to the public, trying to gain understanding about what happened. You can't just write something insulting about Snape, or sensitive information about Lupin in it, without expecting some sort of backlash.'

'But it's true!'

'Doesn't matter, you have to be polite when writing to a paper. We have to work on your expression as well, you've written "And then" roughly thirty times.'

Sirius glared at the younger looking boy leaning over his shoulder while wearing a disappointed look as he mentioned this fact.

The argument was about to escalate when Kanda piped up from his position on the bed. They were in the shrieking shack while Black was in his human form, trying to write his letter to the _Daley Prophet_.

'I recommend not arguing with him, it's a waste of time and breath because he doesn't listen, plus we have to get back to school before anyone realises we're missing.'

Sirius reluctantly nodded and went to correct his letter with Allen's input. Kanda sighed; it was going to be a long night.

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	8. Prisoner of Azkaban part 7

**WARNINGS for underage sexual activities in this chapter, but nothing explicit.**

About a week before Gryffindor was due to play Ravenclaw they had another interesting occurrence, this one was a surprising help to figuring out Allen and Kanda. It came in the form of a conversation in the common room just before the two in question went to bed, and just after.

'Miss Guinevere,' Harry wondered who on earth Allen was talking to, 'Do you need help with your potions Assignment? I thought I would ask since you were so kind as to help me in charms.' Harry was very curious as to why Ginny was blushing.

'That would be great,' the redhead mumbled. 'I'll see you in the Library at lunch tomorrow?'

'That's perfect, see you then.' Harry watched Ginny as she stared after Allen and his shadow with a bright pink dusting her cheeks.

'What was that about?' Ron asked. 'I can't remember the last time someone called you Guinevere.'

'They're perfect,' Ginny murmured, still looking out of it. 'Smart, hansom, Allen is always so polite and respectful and he manages to pull it off. Kanda's distant, but really that's fine as well, Luna says she prefers him like that.'

'What are you going on about?' Ron was getting frustrate. 'And how would he help you with Potions? And how did you help him in Charms?' Ron looked ready to burst.

Ginny finally came down from where ever she had been and glared at him. 'You really are oblivious, Ron; Kanda and Allen are in my class. They both compete for top so of course they could help me. As for Charms, when Allen was sick he was struggling with one of them and I helped him out.'

'But what was all that about them being "Perfect"?' Ron asked.

'Oh Ronald, you're such a guy. I don't have time to explain it, ask Hermione,' And with that she left, Ron didn't ask Hermione however, as she was currently buried under a pile of books and looking frazzled.

Harry was wondering about something else.

'I forgot that they were in the same class as Ginny. Does that mean that they share a dorm with Collin?' Ron blinked at him.

'Yeah, yeah it would. Why didn't we think of this sooner? Half a year wasted sneaking around when we could have just asked the other people in our house!'

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The next day Harry managed to covertly ask Collin about his dorm mates, mentioning Ginny's comments and asking his opinion. There it was revealed that the Duo often snuck out at night.

All this information, of course, was added to the list.

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Ron carefully walked down the hall, trying to make as little noise as possible. It was the day before the game and Harry and Hermione were in the library studying, while he was using the Marauder's Map to try and Follow Allen and Kanda. The two had gone into an empty, little used class room a while ago and hadn't moved, so he was the one elected to go and see what they were up to.

As he approached he heard heavy breathing and what sounded like crashing. He walked a little faster to the door, now that he was more confident he wouldn't be heard, but decided not to betray his presence as there was no screaming. Trying to be a little sneakier now that the Map said he was right outside the classroom he leant down to look through the key hole.

He wished he could un-see what was on the other side.

Allen was sitting on the desk where Kanda had apparently thrown him; Kanda was standing right in front of him. Hats and gloves were on the ground as well as a few other articles of clothing. Allen had his legs wrapped around Kanda's hips and both boys had their hands in each other's hair, holding their faces together. Both were breathing heavy with the occasional gasp as hands began to move to _other_ places. Suddenly Kanda started mumbling something and Ron strained to listen.

'What about the idiotic trio, they were so keen on following us earlier, what if they walk in?'

'Bakanda, don't you think I checked? Harry is in the Library, and those three rarely separate, where he goes they follow. Don't worry about it.'

How the hell did they know Harry was in the Library? Did they have some way of tracking him; was that how they avoided them?

The thought should have been at the front of his mind, instead it was pushed to the back by the way the two boys _a year younger than him_ were grabbing each other. Ron had never seen anything like it; other than that one time he stole a picture from one of his older brothers, he couldn't remember which, but that had been of between a man and women, not two boys.

'Arren.'

'Yuu.'

The two breathy words were the last warning he got before the boys started taking off the rest of each other's cloths. _That_ woke Ron up enough to realise that he probably shouldn't be around for what came next.

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Harry and Hermione came back to the common room to see Ron, white as a ghost, staring into the fire and looking rather horrified.

'Weren't you following Allen and Kanda? What happened? Did you see what anything that might give us a clue to why they were sneaking out at night?' Hermione's words made Ron jump, then he started look rather queasy, like he had last year just before he started bringing up slugs.

'I found them, and if that's what they're doing at night I didn't need to know. Oh pour Ginny, my sister, what's she going to think if she finds out? It was horrendous, disturbing, no one should see that, it's not natural. And at that age, what's wrong with them?' Hermione and Harry looked at each other as Ron continued to ramble. Eventually Harry thought it best to remind Ron of the original point of this.

'What were they doing, Ron? You haven't actually said.'

Ron looked at them. He looked like he had just after Pettigrew had been revealed. 'They were, you know … where they … with the clothes ... and other things …' Harry and Hermione were now even more confused. 'Geese, I can't say it!'

Ron seemed to be thinking about how to communicate what it was that he wanted them to know.

'You know how Ginny was acting like a girl yesterday? With the going on about "hansom" and "perfect"?' Hermione snorted at the phrasing but Harry nodded. 'Well, I think she will be very disappointed since both of them are claimed.'

Harry raised an eyebrow. 'So … they were sneaking out to go see their girlfriends? How is that unnatural?' Ron shook his head.

'They weren't meeting up with _girl_ friends; they were meeting up with _each other_. You know when your Parents give you the talk about "when a man and woman love each other very much" and all that embarrassing stuff? Well … they were doing that without the woman, you know, just them.'

Ron watched with smug satisfaction as the other two slowly ceased to function at this revelation. He only hoped it didn't affect Harry's game the next day.

Somewhere in Hogwarts a dog did everything in his power to avoid one particular section of the castle.

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The day after the match Harry finally got the courage to ask Lupin what a Dementors kiss was. After his use of a Patronus on the field he thought he could use that as a lead in to the conversation. He was right.

'Professor,' he said after they had talked about Patronus, 'What's under a Dementors hood?' he had decided that it would be best to just ask generally about the Dementor before mentioning the conversation he had overheard. As it turned out the first question answered his second, though he wished it hadn't.

'Didn't … didn't the teachers say something about one of them trying to do that to a student during the other match? Didn't Professor Flitwick say something about that while Allen was in the Hospital Wing?' Harry was disgusted; now he knew why the teachers had been so horrified.

'So you heard that did you? Or did Hermione tell you? Yes, one of the Dementors looked like it was going to Kiss Allen. Dumbledore thought it might have succeeded in doing so the way he was when we got there, despite Flitwick's assurances.'

'Why?' Harry couldn't think of anything that the boy could have done to deserve that.

'I don't know,' Lupin muttered. 'And neither does anyone else.'

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The day before Hagrid left for London the trio snuck down to his cabin. Over the last few weeks that had sent him down material for his case, now they were going to go down and make sure he was alright.

'You don't need luck Hagrid,' Hermione told him. 'You've got this, just remember all the information we gave you.'

'I'm not sure if it's helpful or not, but the rest of the Ministry is tied up with the Black Case. Heard they should be comin' to a decision any day now. Hopefully they will think this one isn't so bad compared to that.

Harry wasn't sure if it would be helpful or not, but he hoped that both resulted with the verdict of "innocent".

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After Harry had snuck into Hogsmead, (he still didn't have a signed note but Hermione agreed to cover for him if someone asked) and had his disastrous encounter with Snape; only to be saved by his friends and Lupin, they got a letter from Hagrid.

 _Dear Harry, Hermione and Ron,_

 _We won! Thank you for your help._

 _We get back tomorrow and were intending to celebrate, I will meet you at the entrance at one and we can have lunch._

 _Hagrid_

So Sunday afternoon the trio headed down with Hagrid to his cabin with food from the kitchens and a stock of butter beer. Buckbeak was sitting on Hagrid's bed again and eating ferrets while the humans help themselves to banquet of sweets before them. Hermione then mentioned the hearing.

'I'm so glad you won Hagrid!.'

'Nearly didn't,' slurred Hagrid who had been drinking whisky instead of butter beer. 'I got up there and I was so nervous, got all tongue-tied. They was all sittin' there in black robes an' I kep' droppin' me notes and forgettin' all them dates yeh looked up fer me, you three. An' then Lucius Malfoy stood up an' said his bit, and the Committee looked like it was jus' gonna do exac'ly what he told em.

'Then this bloke walked in, all easy charm. I don't know who he was, he just introduced himself as Mr Mikk and started talking. He knew all the dates, knew all of 'em too, Lucius looked furious that he was there. Then after a few minutes of him talking they said he was absolu'ely right and pronounced Buckbeak free.'

The trio just looked at their friend, none of them recognised the name Mr Mikk. After a while they moved back to their celebration but the three sober people present were still thinking about the stranger who had helped Hagrid long into the next night.

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Malfoy was not pleased when he heard that the bird had gotten off, in fact he was furious. In care of magical creatures the next day he was especially snarky, terrorising the other students and the animal's they were meant to be caring for. In the end Hagrid deducted points and gave him a detention for his behaviour.

As they were walking back to the castle the trio could hear him carrying on.

'I don't know what they were thinking! That oaf doesn't deserve to be a teacher, and that creature deserved to die! Fathers furious, he's been talking of all the ways he can get Dumbledore sacked because he's most likely the one that …' and on he rambled.

Right up until Hermione slapped him before she threatened him with a wand. Harry and Ron had to restrain her before she calmed down.

Part of them wasn't surprised that she missed charms, or that she walked out of Divination. With the way she was acting they wouldn't be surprised if she ended up in the Hospital Wing.

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It was the next day that Harry and Sirius managed to hide in the Shrieking shack and have a much-needed conversation. By the end both felt just that little bit better.

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It was a full week after Buckbeak was pardoned that another Article was published in the Daily Prophet concerning Black, this one announcing his innocence.

The article was long but it had barely any information, and even less that was believable. Despite many attempts the newspaper had been unable to confirm the identity of Black's representative. There was a lot of speculation about this but for once the Ministry was doing its job to keep certain things _out_ of the public's eye.

Another bit of information that was unavailable was Black's Animagus form. Again there was speculation, and someone said that it was known to the Ministry but was being removed from the registry for safety reasons.

As well as Black's pardon the Article also contained the announcement that one Peter Pettigrew had been stripped of his honours and was now wanted for the murder of twelve Muggles, failing to register as an Animagus, fraud, and several other things.

But Harry didn't care about that. His Godfather had been proven innocent, and he would never have to see the Dursley's again.

The next time he cast a patronus, he would choose this memory.

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For the rest of the day after the announcement there was no sign of Padfoot, but at breakfast the next day Harry got a letter form a strange little owl that was definitely not Hedgewig.

 _Dear Harry,_

 _I'm sorry I suddenly left. Now that my name has been cleared I have to finalise the legal documents to officially have you live with me. I also need to do some major cleaning of the old Black Family home as no one had been in it for a long time and it was a mess even then. My aim is to at least have your room clean by the end of school, I am afraid this is likely to be how we will spend at least the beginning of your holidays._

 _I think I should warn you, someone started asking questions about your treatment from your aunt and uncle. When I applied for the papers it was hinted that there may be an inquiry into this._

 _There are somethings we never got round to discussing the last time we talked you, though some I suspect you already knew. It was I who sent you the Firebolt, Crookshanks took the order to the Owl Office for me. I used your name but told them to take the gold from Gringotts vault number seven hundred and eleven – my own. Kanda suggested it and put it in your room. Please consider it as thirteen birthdays' worth of presents from your godfather._

 _I would also like to apologise for the fright I think I gave you, that first night last year when you left your uncle's house. I had only hoped to get a glimpse of you before starting my journey north, but I think the sight of me alarmed you._

 _If you need me before the end of term just send Hedgewig, she will find me. Otherwise I will pick you up from the train station._

 _See you then_

 _Sirius_

 _PS I thought your friend Ron might like to keep this owl, as it's my fault he no longer has a rat._

Harry didn't think he had ever seen Ron so happy as when he got the news.

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 **AN: was the scene between Allen and Kanda messing around really necessary? probably not. Did I add it in just to mess with Ron and torture him a little? Hell yes.**

 **How far they actually went after Ron left is up the reader, I will go with that they stopped soon after and things didn't actually go that far.**


	9. Prisoner of Azkaban part 8

**AN: last chapter for prisoner of Azkaban, and this story is going on hiatus (and set as complete temporarily) until I have written the next part (Goblet of fire). When I am happy with the continuation of this I will just keep posting it in _this_ story, but I make no guarantees as to when that will be.**

 **Huge thanks to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed.**

It was right in the middle of the Easter holidays that Hermione was approached by Allen and Kanda. She was sitting in the almost empty library trying desperately to do some work in the five minutes before it closed when the two came and stood in front of her. Allen spoke first.

'Hermione, at the beginning of the year it looked like we could be friends, however your ridiculous amount of homework seems to have made that impossible. You do not look well, Hermione, and I refuse to just sit back and watch as you half kill yourself.

'Hand me your Potions, Charms, and Transfiguration homework, Pass your Defence Against the Dark Arts, Ancient Runes, and Arithmancy stuff to Kanda. We'll write out your essays, no don't protest, and you can read them later. In the meantime put your head on the desk, or lay down on the floor, and have a nap. You look so tired I'm scared you're going to faint.'

Against her better judgment, she only had five minutes before the library closed, she put her head down and went to sleep.

She woke up just before the librarian came to kick them out, surprised at how refreshed she felt after such a short nap. Then she looked over at Kanda and Allen and realised that it was impossible for only five minutes to have passed.

All her homework and essays for those six subjects were completed, ink dry, and stacked neatly.

'Don't worry about studying; all the information you need for the exams is in these Essays. Just make sure you read over them, but that should be slightly easier than writing all of this out by yourself.'

And with that the two second years walked out of the library, leaving the third year girl to pack up her perfectly completed homework in shock.

Though she had to admit she felt better than she had in months.

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It was the last night of the Easter Holidays and Hermione, much to the confusion of the other students, had completed all her work. Now she sat staring at the second year duo as they sat down together, away from everyone else. She was highly suspicious of them; even more so after the incident with her homework last week, and she knew that they were together; something she still hadn't come to grips with.

But she needed to pay them back for the homework, and she was very curious.

Hesitantly she walked up to them and cleared her throat to get their attention. 'First I wanted to thank you for your help last week –'

She was cut off by Allen. 'There is no need for that Hermione, aren't we supposed to be friends?' Despite how suspicious the three of them felt, she felt herself blush. Ginny wasn't joking; they were gorgeous, and smart, and a year wasn't _that_ much …

She shook the thoughts from her head – they were _together_ – and continued.

'I was also wondering … about Dementors,' Allen lost his easy smile. 'It's just, Harry is also effected by them so he learnt the Patronus charm, and I know that it's a ridiculously hard spell but, given the effect they have on you, wouldn't it be a good idea to –' Allen cut her off once again.

'It doesn't work, Hermione. I did try to learn it, and succeeded, but … by the time I know a Dementor is close by I'm already out of it. The only way a Patronus would help me is if I had it active everywhere I go, and that's not very practical.' He looked so sad as he said it; she wondered what he would have to have survived to be affected instantaneously. She turned to Kanda.

'What if Kanda learnt it?' now Kanda looked rather annoyed. She didn't understand his reaction at first.

'I do know it,' at her look he glared and continued. 'But a second year casting a complete Patronus isn't something you want every busy-body knowing. Besides that, this is a school isn't it? I shouldn't have to be worrying about casting one here. What are the teachers doing that a child was nearly Kissed during a Quidditch match?' The venom of his words increased as he continued. At the end he grabbed Allen's hand and dragged him to the Portrait to leave.

Allen threw back one line as they left. 'You don't have to know everything, Hermione, remember that.'

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The final Quidditch game of the year had just finished with Gryffindor as the winner, and Dumbledore was exceptionally please. He knew he shouldn't pick favourites; but could help being slightly biased towards the lion's house. Besides, McGonagall needed a victory every now and then.

He was whistling slightly to himself when he opened his office door to two students sitting at his desk. His whistling stopped and he stood still; they hadn't been to see him since the incident with the Dementor, not even after the incident with Peter Pettigrew.

'To what do I own this pleasure?' Dumbledore asked.

'You've been trying to stop the legal procceedings for Harry to move in with Sirius.' It wasn't a question. 'We were rather hoping you would support the decision instead of hindering it,' Allen finished, today he didn't appear to be in the mood to mince words.

Dumbledore was speechless. Surely they should know about the sacrifice, about the wards.

'He's safer at the Dursley's. There's magic there that protects –' he didn't get any further.

'What good is protection from outside forces if you try to slit your wrists yourself?' Kanda interrupted. 'We know about the protection measures, we also know that others can be placed on the Black house. Our question is; do you know how they treat him?'

Did he know how they treated him? Of course he did. He thought it disgusting, but there was no other option. The boy had so many enemies … to leave him anywhere else would have been the child's death. There was also the fact that any wizarding family would have treated him differently, even the Weasley's didn't treat him like their other children when he was over.

Allen started speaking. 'When you dropped him off at the Dursley's you wanted him to have a normal life.' Dumbledore didn't have time to wonder how he knew that. 'But he didn't, he spent the first few years being abused, neglected and treated like a slave. All he has ever wanted was to get away from them, up until this year his happiest memory was when he was told he could leave for a small portion on the year. He can't trust people, he didn't know what it felt like to wanted, he doesn't even know when to ask for help.

'Sirius doesn't see him as "Harry Potter the Saviour", he sees him as a child he was told to look after by his friends. He wants Harry as his son, not a slave or social status. Let Harry have this; you and I both know what has to happen in the future, let him have this happiness, to be normal for once.'

Dumbledore felt sick, he knew it had been bad but he hadn't realised just what impact it would have had to grow up like that, he suspected he still didn't. He knew that if Harry was a Horcrux only one fate awaited him, but to have someone else confirm it was something he had never wished for.

'And the Blood Protection, what will he do without that? What will he do instead to make sure some old supporter of Voldemort doesn't find him?'

For the first time during this visit he saw Allen smile and speak in a light tone. 'Oh, I wouldn't worry about that. These things have a habit of working themselves out. Something I have learnt over the years is that if Destiny has a plan for you then there is no way to escape it, no matter how much we may try.'

After the boys had left Dumbledore wondered how someone who looked so young could talk as if he had seen the different ages leave him behind. He looked at the portraits for answers but they just shrugged and sent each other covert smiles at shared knowledge he didn't have.

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Sirius looked around the room with no small amount of pride. Even with magic it had still been a hell of a job to clear out the creatures that had been living there and remove the years' worth of junk that had piled up. Smiling, he turned to leave and collect Harry's stuff from his Aunt and Uncle, and jumped a mile when he saw Allen and Kanda standing in the doorway.

'Sorry to intrude,' Allen said, ignoring his reaction, 'but there are somethings we need to discuss with you before Harry gets here.'

'First; you have to be mature,' Kanda took over. 'Twelve years in prison should mean you've grown up, but we feel the need to make sure. No encouraging misbehaviour or rule breaking for fun, be someone who can help with problems, not cause them.'

'Second; we need to talk about Harry's safety,' Allen told him. 'Before he was protected by a type of blood bound magic, if he moves in with you this will disappear. I would personally prefer it did rather than leave him with those idiots, I think they're just as much a hazard to him as Voldemort, but this does mean we have to do something else instead.

'One option would be for you to also take care of his cousin,' seeing his look Allen explained. 'The kids not that bad, just ridiculously misguided. He may not have magic but I think we can work around it. There are other methods of protection, you would know about some of them, but this is one you should think carefully about, and talk to Harry before you make a decision'

Once Allen had finished talking both boys looked at him as if waiting for a response.

'I will talk to Harry and Dumbledore before I make any decisions about safety. And trust me, I have grown up a lot since my days at Hogwarts.' He knew the grief was showing in his eyes. Allen just smiled.

'Excellent! But no bad mouthing Snape to Harry, the two have enough problems and you're too prejudice.' And with that the boys vanished.

Ten minutes later half the rooms were clean with all their contents piled in other rooms. Sirius never saw them do it.

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The exams ended and the end of year approached and Harry realised that this was actually the first year where he hadn't spent some time during exams in the medical wing. He didn't know how he felt about this fact.

Professor Lupin resigned from the position of DADA teacher, during the investigation into Sirius certain things _had_ managed to end up in the Daily Prophet which made continuing after the end of term rather difficult. Harry was rather sad to see him go, but even that couldn't dull his spirits just a few days before he officially got on the train out of Hogwarts.

His moving in with Sirius had been approved; he would never have to see the Dursleys again.

Ron and Hermione watched him practically bounce towards the train. They had never seen him like this in the three years they had known him. Neither knew what had caused his excellent mood; and neither quite had the guts to ask. Just before they finished putting their stuff on the train they saw Allen and Kanda, heading in the wrong direction.

'Hey!' Ron said. 'Where are you two going?'

Allen and Kanda turned around, looked at each other, and answered with the kind of expression that questioned your sanity.

'Home,' they both said in unison.

'But the trains this way,' Hermione pointed out.

'So?' they asked, again in unison. The trio didn't bother asking for an explanation, they just gave up.

Harry had something else on his mind. 'Do you to live together?'

Kanda suddenly had a rather guarded expression. 'Yes, why?'

'Do you have to hide the fact that you're together at home as well? Or are you free to do what you want in that regard?'

Both boys had identical expressions. It was the expression you had when you had a horrifying suspicion about what the other person was talking about and hoped you were wrong.

'What?' Allen said with an empty smile and polite tone.

'When you're at home, do you have to pretend that your just friends or do you act like boyfriends? How does that work anyway?' Harry said it as if he was discussing the whether. Allen and Kanda were both incredibly pale.

'How did you find out?' Allen finally managed to almost gasp.

'Ron looked through a key whole when he heard something going on behind the closed door.' Harry still hadn't put any emotion into his words. Ron and Hermione watched the conversation with a mixture of amusement and embarrassment.

Suddenly Kanda was glaring, he was the fiercest that Harry had ever seen him and the boy stepped back. 'If you tell anyone you will regret it.'

Harry gulped and nodded. 'Wasn't planning to, just felt sorry for you if you had to pretend even when you were at home.'

Allen suddenly smiled sadly, not completely hiding his relief. 'No, we don't have to hide at home.

'See you later Harry, Hermione … Ron.' With that the boys were walking away again.

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On the Hogwarts Express Harry could barely stop jumping in his seat, Hermione told them about her dropping some subjects, and Ron invited Harry to stay during the holidays, And mentioned the Quidditch World Cup.

If Harry had been bouncing before he looked like he would hit the roof now.

'That should be great! But I'll have to check with Sirius, if I just moved in he may need help getting things organised …' Harry trailed off when he saw their faces. 'What?'

'What do you mean "what"?' Hermione nearly shrieked, 'what was the about Sirius? What happened to your Aunt and Uncle?'

Harry looked rather sheepish. 'Well, before my parents died they asked Sirius if he would look after me if something happened to them. Now that his name has been cleared he can do that.'

'So, what, you're just moving in with him? Where does he even live?' Ron sounded incredulous

'He has his Family's old house, and he is my godfather, my Parent's wanted me to live with him if something happened to them.' They both just looked at him. 'It got finalised the day before exams.' They continued to stare.

'How come you didn't tell us?' Hermione gasped.

Harry just shrugged and looked sheepish again. 'I forgot.' He mumbled.

The rest of the train trip passed as normal. When they arrived at the station, sure enough, Sirius was waiting for him next to Mr and Mrs Weasley; having a great old chat despite the stares from those around them.

After they had said their goodbyes and agreed to Harry going over for the World Cup, Harry walked with Sirius to the car, though he had no idea where he had gotten it from.

'Harry, there are somethings we need to discuss; including your Aunt and Uncle.'

'You haven't changed your mind have you? You're not sending me back to them are you?' Sirius frowned when he saw Harry's terrified look.

'No, you're not going back to them,' Harry looked relieved. 'Quite the opposite, actually, they are being investigated by the muggle government for child abuse.' Harry felt his mouth drop open.

'The two things we needed to discuss about them were actually related. The most important is that there were wards on their house to protect you, wards that only work if you are living with someone related to your mum by blood.

'The second thing is that, if they are proven guilty of child abuse, it is very possible their son will be required to go into foster care,' Sirius took a deep breath before he continued. 'And someone asked me if I would be willing to take him.'

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 **EN: And that is the end of the Prisoner of Azkaban, this was a hell of a lot longer than I intended.**

 **Yes, I know that what Allen and Kanda at the start of this chapter was technically cheating, they don't care but cheating is _bad,_ I don't promote it.**

 **Hopefully it wont be long until I start posting the Goblet of Fire, unfortunately I keep changing how I want to do it and it was always going to be the _long_ one, so it keeps ending up in mess every time I try to write it. Again this will be set as complete until I start posting for it again, even though the chapters still will be added here.**


	10. Goblet of Fire part 1

**The plan was to have Goblet of Fire as the book most concerned with Allen and Kanda, their opinions and back story, so this arc should be _long_.**

 **So, I wasn't going to start updating the chapters for the next (Goblet of Fire) book until I had completed writing it out from start to end. Then I realized just how many chapters I had pre-written, finally decided on the order of events after changing it three times, and thought that people probably wouldn't mind if it went on break later when I finally ran out of written chapters, which should hopefully take a while.**

 **In other words, here it is and I hope you enjoy.**

Kanda sat next to the giant garbage bin covered in papers, hiding. His lower face was buried in the soft, white, hair of the boy in his arms, but his eyes were wide and watching.

In, out, in, out; the continuous rhythm of the Moyashi's quiet, sleeping breath was comforting in that it let him know the boy was safe and alive. The boy was sleeping calmly, for once, in his arms as they huddled under the layer of papers that served as both a source of warmth and camouflage as they hid.

Damn that woman.

You got them amongst all humans, magical or otherwise. Those bigoted people who believed that their way was the only way and everyone had to follow it, or else. Those sickly-sweet people who would run like poison in your veins, slimy and greasy, who tried to convince you that they were right so just give in to the death that was stalking their footsteps.

They were the kind of people that had a habit of attacking his Moyashi, the kind that unconsciously sort him out, the kind he brought the worst out of.

This one was persistent. She had trailed the boys as they moved from city to city, living on the streets, trying to talk them into going into foster care and homes for troubled boys. When they had refused her "kind offer" she had tried to use force to get them into the system.

But they couldn't afford to be in the system.

In, out, in, out, silence. A hitch in the pattern that informed him that the Moyashi's dreams had taken a less than pleasant turn.

It was time to move, and hope the holidays would pass just that little bit quicker.

How Kanda hated playing human.

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A week after the start of the Holidays Harry and Sirius were sitting on the floor of the living room, eating a sort of picnic dinner that Kreacher had made. The last week had been spent learning about each other and explaining the various things that would have to be organised in order for this arrangement to work. The house was now incredibly well protected, and for once Harry was completely aware of all the measures that were in place.

During the week they had fallen into an easy routine of cleaning and homework, things had gone incredibly smoothly after all the worst of the trouble causing portraits had mysteriously disappeared sometime during the first day. Kreacher, the house elf, had a room to himself, that Harry had managed to talk Sirius into giving him, that was full of all the things he wanted to keep from the clean up and some of the other "inhabitants" that the elf claimed were his pets. For the first time in his school career Harry had all his homework completed within the first week, Sirius, it turned out, was incredibly helpful, despite his history as a trouble maker.

There was also a clean room for Dudley.

Yesterday the Dursley's had been officially deemed incapable of raising children by both wizards and muggles alike. Dudley was to arrive tomorrow, and Harry was not happy. He understood why it was necessary, and he knew that with Sirius as the adult figure things would be different from how it had been at the Dursley's, but he couldn't help but worry about the arrival of the boy who had bullied him mercilessly for the majority of his life at one of the few places he might have been willing to call home, if given the chance.

All in all, everyone currently in the house knew that things were about to get interesting.

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A month after living with both Sirius and Dudley, Harry had learnt a lot about the people around him, specifically those he was now living with. He had also been forced to learn and recognise certain things about himself, but he had been going through that since he had first arrived at number 12 Grimmauld Place. When he had first been rescued by Ron and the Twins in second year, he had realised that the way the Dursleys had treated him was wrong, but it wasn't until he had had Sirius as a reference for how any family he was a part of should act that he had realised their treatment had actually had an effect on him.

It had taken two days of knowing Dudley under the influence of Sirius for him to realise that the same could be said for him.

Away from his parents cloying presence Dudley had proved to be a rather nice boy, once he actually understood the difference between right and wrong; something that had been missing from his previous education. After a rocky start and an incident that involved some dishwashing, Harry had come to understand that Dudley wasn't _bad_ , he just didn't know how to be good, which turned out to be something Sirius was surprisingly adept at teaching. It helped that, unlike the Dursleys, Sirius didn't play favourites, not even with Harry.

At the end of the first month that the three of them (plus Kreacher) had spent living together, Harry felt like Dudley had somehow become more of a brother than a cousin.

Now if only he could fix Kreacher's dislike of Muggles and those who were Muggle born, then their little mis-matched family really would be perfect.

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The day that Dudley had first arrived at the town house that looked more like a mansion the boy had realised two things with certainty; this person was richer than his parents, and he had no idea why everyone was making such a fuss. A small part of his mind said that things were going to be very different to what he was used to if the people from the government had been right, but he didn't think there was anything different or wrong with how things had been. His parents had gone to great lengths to impress upon him just how perfectly normal they were, with one exception.

When he had arrived home from school he had entered straight into a week of being questioned by people he didn't know and a whole heap of strangers investigating his school reports, home life from the perspective of the neighbours, and lots of other things that he didn't really understand, or think were any of these people's business. Then Dudley had found himself in a car on his way to live with his Wizard of a cousin, Harry, and Harry's God father Sirius, who he thinks looks an awful lot like that escaped prisoner they had had on the news during the holidays.

At first, he had thought that this other Wizard would play favourites with Harry, like his parents had done with him. When he saw that, while the man was affectionate to his cousin, he wasn't really going out of his way to make sure Harry had absolutely everything he wanted he realised this wouldn't be the case. He then thought that things would be the same as they had been before, with him being given the proper treatment he deserved and Harry being given his proper treatment for being the freak he was, it simply didn't occur to him that he was thinking in extremes and a balance was what was actually require, that was the only thing he had known and he didn't see anything wrong with it.

When his first night there rolled around and he was told to take his own plate and cutlery to the sink so that Sirius could wash them while both he and Harry dried them; he had felt like the floor had been removed from under his feet. His protests and attempts to weasel his way out of it had been met with firmness and a very mild punishment, so had Harry's laughter much to his surprise.

Over that first week he had been exposed to both the Wizarding and Muggle world in a new light. He had learnt, and surprisingly understood, that his parents' behaviour was _wrong_. Now that he wasn't protected by his parents' blindness and after a few reports sent to his new Guardian by the school he had been made to realise that his status as a bully was not something he should be proud of, and neither was his weight. This week was all it took for Harry and Sirius to change Dudley from a fourteen-year-old whale of a bully into a surprisingly thoughtful kid that had agreed to go on a diet and exercise plan.

The government, Sirius, Dudley and his parents had agreed that he would be able to spend Saturday day with his parents while under supervision. The first Saturday when he was allowed to visit his parents he had change so much in his outlook that they couldn't recognise him, or him them. The original arrangement of weekly visits had to be changed after the Dursleys had to be taken away as they raved about "Enchantments" and "Brainwashing" and Dudley had told the authorities that he didn't think it was a good idea for him to see them again and that these Saturdays should be stopped, at least for a while.

The end of the month saw him as a surprisingly good friend of Kreacher, closer to Harry than he had ever thought possible, and the realisation that his parents' hatred of magic was caused by jealousy and not really something to judge the entire culture by. It also saw him with the promise from Sirius that if he managed to loose enough wait he would consider finding out if his relation to Lily meant that he had enough traces of magic to be able to fly a broom, and maybe even buy him his own.

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By the first morning of living with Harry under his roof, Sirius had learnt three things; one was that he needed to pick up some books on raising children if he really did want to do this properly, two was that it was a good thing that Kanda and Allen had given him that talk, and three was that he hated the Dursleys almost as much as he hated Wormtail.

The first day Harry had been up early and making breakfast with a very surprised Kreacher looking over his shoulder. As the day wore on the boy would hesitate for a slit second before he did certain things, look surprised at random moments, and actually flinched once when Sirius was talking to him about something he had done.

As they had talked about various things, Sirius had had to come to grips with the fact that even with three years of attending Hogwarts and occasionally spending part of the holidays away from those people, old habits die hard, and Harry's childhood had cut the boy deeper than even he seemed to know.

He was in two minds about accepting the muggle child into his home when he thought about the way both children must have grown up, but decided that he may as well see if this Dudley could be a decent person when told about the difference between right and wrong. He could see that Harry was concerned about the situation, but had enough trust in him, even after only a week of living together, that he was willing to give it ago.

Sirius, despite expectation, did not play favourites with the boys living under his roof. Neither was treated as a slave but both were expected to help with chores and cleaning. He could do it all by magic, and Kreacher was there, but Harry needed to learn the difference between chores and slave labour and Dudley had to learn the value of hard work and that you did need to do somethings for yourself in order to truly appreciate them.

It turned out that Allen and Kanda had been right; there was a nice boy hiding under all that fat, maybe even a hansom one if he actually survived the diet and exercise his school nurse had suggested.

By the end of that first month of the three of them and Kreacher living together they could almost resemble a family. Both boys had become friends and those parenting books had been a surprising help, so had Allen and Kanda when they occasionally dropped by to offer advice and check that everything was alright, with only Sirius knowing of course.

He really should remember to thank them for getting rid of his mother's portrait at some stage.

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Kanda watched as the boy seamlessly moved through the crowed and slipped paper bills in and out of pockets.

A month had passed since their second year of school had finished, and still that woman followed them, even as they moved using so many methods most would have been lost in moments. They were lucky that Allen's sense of direction had improved from when they first met.

Allen, the name sent his body ablaze. The white haired boy was _his_ , no one else's.

They didn't _need_ to live on the streets, didn't need to steal, but the streets were Allen's home in a way that no box of concrete ever could be. The streets and the skills needed to survive there were something he had learned to appreciate. The cultures and organisations that thrived below the surface, missed entirely when viewed from above. The vibrant pulse of life that struggled and fought for the right to exist, the means and ways people resulted to in order to keep it going. The skills that were created, practiced, cultivated, that were needed to ensure that you were still around to see tomorrow. Skills, he had learned, that had other applications.

It was here in the filth that Allen shone the brightest, in this struggle that Allen thrived; this was their home in ways that others would never understand, especially that woman.

Two weeks until things started happening. Two weeks of dodging that bitch. Then they could leave.

Allen finished his "practice" and it was time to move on.

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Frank the care taker had entered the house and was listening in to the conversation in great confusion. First these intruders had seemed to be talking about eating, or food, or being hungry, or something else like that. Then they had rambled on about things that seemed to be day to day stuff (who, or what, on earth was Nagini?) and traveling, they seemed to intend to stay a while in this house they didn't own. After that the conversation got really twisted with strange words he didn't understand. Eventually they started talking about someone called Harry Potter and substitutes and loyalty and a whole lot of other rot. They were even talking about killing people at one stage!

'She was fit for nothing after my questioning, quite useless. In any case, things would be very awkward for you if she had gone back to the Ministry to report your location. Wizards wanted for murder and other crimes would do well not to run into Ministry of Magic witches while traveling …'

From there they talked of altering memory, Frank faded out as he thought about calling the police but came in again to hear the end of the conversation.

'Harry Potter is as good as mine, Wormtail.'

'Even with the Meddlers at Hogwarts, my lord?'

'The Meddlers? You mean those children you claim are so much trouble? They will be nothing to my Faithful servant.'

'My lord, they are not normal. Even this person you speak of may have trouble …'

'It is decided. There will be no more argument. But quiet … I think I hear Nagini …'

After the snake arrived there was only a few more words spoken as they discussed his fate, then Frank died and Harry Potter woke up.

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	11. Goblet of Fire part 2

**AN: So, I am impatient, and couldn't wait a week to update the next chapter because I have horrible self control. The next few chapters will probably be updated biweekly until I start to run out again, because this story isn't finished but I do have at least a few pre-written chapters to post before I start worrying about inconstant updates.**

While Harry was still processing his dream, he realised that he had a choice to make; wake Sirius and tell him now or wait till the morning. Both options had ups and downs; it was hard to casually mention something during the middle of the night and he would hate to make a big deal out of nothing, however if he waited to till morning and it was a big deal Sirius would want to know why he hadn't told him as soon as it happened.

He had two weeks till he went back to school and had spent a month and a half living with Sirius, and a week less living with Dudley. During that time there had been some … incidents … where Harry hadn't told Sirius that something had happened while he had been exploring the house because he hadn't thought it was anything to worry about and wasn't that important anyway. Sirius had made it quite clear that Harry was to let him decide what was a big deal or not, and that trying to hide that he was hurt was _not_ something he was allowed to do under any circumstances, no matter how silly the injury seemed at the time.

It was something he was having trouble getting used to, and the reason he found himself walking around the house to let his God father know what had happed, and about what had happened the last time his scar had hurt like that.

Sirius was very glad he hadn't waited till morning. He had asked a few question about what Harry managed to remember about his dream, and about how his scar had hurt both now and then, before he told him to go to bed and he would look into it.

'Sorry for waking you up, it's probably nothing.' Harry mumbled at that.

'Harry, from what you just said I highly doubt it's nothing. I'm all for independence, but your still legally a kid and need to learn to rely on the adults around you more. There is time to grow up and do everything yourself later, for now enjoy having others do _some_ things for you, especially those that might be dangerous if you were to attempt them by yourself.'

Though feeling slightly guilty for costing Sirius sleep, Harry had to admit he did feel better having told him rather than worrying about it by himself.

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Allen was once again walking around the Headmaster's office, laughing quietly to himself as he talked to the portraits. It surprised him that that woman, Beatrice, could still find them even with their frequent travels to places they had no right being able to access.

There were so many threads, both seen and unseen, that he had to manage. So many lives depended on his ability to manipulate; one mistake and the blood shed that would result would be on his hands.

That prophecy scared him more than he would ever admit, so much more he had to do and this time with nothing to hide behind, no other hero to which he could give the glory.

But he had his family, and more importantly he had Kanda. Some days it felt like they were the only things keeping him in one piece.

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Over the Holidays Harry had actually managed to maintain a correspondence with his friends, receiving letters throughout the months and getting cards and gifts when his birthday rolled around. He was more or less up to date with his friends holidays and family drama, and they were up to date with his. When concern was expressed that Dudley had ended up living with Harry and Sirius they had all been very surprised to get a response back saying that the bane of his life had turned over a new leaf.

Then the day after his scar had hurt Sirius received a letter from the Weasleys telling him that Mr Weasley had Tickets for the Quidditch World Cup, and that they were wondering if he and Harry would like the join them as they had a few left over.

Dudley was disappointed when Sirius replied that, while Harry would love to go and was allowed to do so with his permission, he himself would be staying home with Dudley on account of him being a muggle, and therefor unable to attend, and requiring an adult presence in the house to make sure he was alright. While disappointed that he wouldn't be able to go and see people flying around on broomsticks with his cousin, the larger boy did perk up when Sirius told him that he would pay for him and his parents or friends to attend a game of his choosing, since otherwise it would be unfair.

Dudley only hoped his parents would be too interested in the game to talk about anything else, namely his new tolerance to things that were different.

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The original plan had been to pick up Harry at five o'clock the next day, and this plan was kept despite several hiccups along the way, not the least of which was the rather impressive wards around Grimmauld place, and there had been a few discussions and reorganisations required due to the amount of protection on the house. Even though he had known and reacquainted himself with the Weasleys, Sirius was still highly protective of his "sons" and slightly paranoid.

Harry wasn't entirely sure how, but in the end a trip through the Floo Network was organised.

Sirius was waiting with Harry in the room to which the Floo had been connected, however Dudley had decided to say goodbye earlier and wait in his room. While the slightly older boy had been shown that not all magic was bad and that Sirius at least was trust worthy, that didn't change that he had had bad experiences with wizards in the past, namely the time he met Hagrid. Dudley was also a little nervous about meeting anyone that was friends with Harry if they were also in possession of Magic, he knew now that his behaviour in the past had been disgusting and was a little worried about someone trying to seek "revenge" for it.

Mr Weasley arrived first, then Fred and George, and finally Ron. They chattered a bit about events in the wizarding world and what it was like living with a Muggle boy as a Foster son. Mr Weasley was very interested in meeting Dudley, but Sirius suggested that they wait until another time, on account of the Weasleys had been running late and Dudley wasn't "feeling well".

Eventually Harry was saying goodbye to Sirius who made him _promise_ that he would contact him immediately if something happened. Even after the last month and a half, Harry was still having trouble accepting that someone actually cared for him, wanted to know if anything was wrong for a reason other than so they could celebrate if he was dying. Then they were off to the Burrow and for the first time Harry thought he might miss his home while away.

At least he had owl post.

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There arrival at the Weasley's was rather standard as far as Harry was concerned, which is to say, it was utter chaos caused by the multiple red-headed people creating mischief and one or two other red-headed people complaining. Dinner was also something to be considered normal for the group of people, with the eleven of them eating outside and everyone having separate conversations, except for the first five minutes when everyone had wanted to know how he was getting on living with Sirius.

Or at least, it was standard up until the two uninvited guests turned up.

One minuet everyone was talking, Mrs Weasley was complaining about Bill's hair and Ginny had just piped up with 'You're so old-fashioned, Mum. Anyway, it's nowhere near as long as Kanda's …'

" _Speak of the devil and he shall arrive_ ", was Harry's only thought as during the next minute two boys, one with white hair, one with black, came crashing down onto the table and started screaming at each other.

'It was your idea to let that fucking idiot be in charge of our transport!'

'How many times do I have to tell you _not_ to open random doors, BaKanda?'

What followed that was a writhing tangle of limbs, several exclamations of pain, and enough swearing that Mrs Weasley was frozen in shock and the Weasley children were impressed. Even the twins learnt some knew words.

The scuffle ended after both boys had somehow managing to get off the table and onto the grass, when Allen ended up holding a knife to Kanda's hair.

'Moyashi, don't you dare, I need that!'

'No, you don't. Your backwards traditions state that this is a sign of honour; well your inability to learn is the complete opposite and therefore your hair needs to be cut. Besides, you refuse to wear a dress.' More swearing was heard and Mrs Weasley eventually collapsed into her husband's arms from the shock of the foul language.

Before Allen could go through with his threat of cutting off Kanda's ridiculously long hair, Harry distracted him by clearing his throat and bringing the boys' attention to their audience. Allen froze in what Harry assumed was surprise, and Kanda took the opportunity to rescue his tresses before he too stopped and just looked at the people whose dinner they were now wearing. All the conscious people in the Garden just stared at each other is surprise and confusion.

Finally, it was Harry who broke the silence, since it was him who originally cleared his throat.

'Allen, Kanda, why are you here?' There was, realy, just no polite way to ask.

'We got lost,' Allen mumbled in embarrassment, yet for some reason no one had a problem with hearing him. 'We were supposed to be spending the night camping next to the Portkey so we would be on time tomorrow, but we took a wrong turn and somehow managed to end up falling from the sky.' Harry wanted to know just what kind of transport could get you lost like that. He didn't have much time to wonder as Kanda snorted.

'That wasn't getting lost, that was putting trust in the wrong idiot! What the hell gave you the idea that _Sheryl_ could be trusted with his inventions? That idiot doesn't have a clue! He –'

Kanda was interrupted by Percy. 'Sheryl, as in Mr Camelot?' There was a look on his face that appeared as if he was sitting somewhere between awe and confusion. 'You know him?'

Allen tilted his head and gave Percy a considering look.

'We're acquainted, sort of. We know him well enough to ask for a favour but that's not saying much.' Suddenly, all the adults were paying much more attention to the boys who had interrupted their meal.

'I don't believe we've had the pleasure of being introduced.' Mr Weasley began as he gently sat his stirring wife down. 'My name is Arthur Weasley; this is my wife Molly and my children Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred, George, Ron and Ginny. That's Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, and you would be?' recalled to his manners Allen stood up, brushed some of the crumbs off and somehow managing not to smear the mess on his cloths any more than it already was, and bowed before he started talking.

'You have my sincere apologies for interrupting your meal. My name is Allen Walker, this is my friend Kanda. We actually attend school with some of your children and Harry and Hermione, we're in the same year as Guinevere.

'As I said earlier, we got lost. We are attending the Quidditch World Cup and had planned on camping closer to the Portkey, so we wouldn't have to get so early tomorrow. Unfortunately, it seems there was a small mix up with our travel plans.

'I know it's a lot to ask, but can you tell us where we are? And possibly tell us how to get to Stoatshead Hill? We really are sorry about interrupting your meal.' Allen finished with a slight blush.

While Mr Weasley and Allen were talking Harry was taking note of the things that had fallen with the two boys, as well as trying to catch some of the smaller details. He noticed that there were several bags on the table next to where Allen and Kanda had crashed, probably their camping gear. He also noticed the slight difference in what Allen and Kanda were wearing from when they were at school.

Kanda was had tight black pants and a t-shirt on that had a strange white symbol that could have been a band logo, casual clothes. Allen was wearing something similar, but had a plain-white long-sleeved shirt instead of a t-shirt, and was also wearing a pair of gloves. Harry also noticed that he had found a way to hide his scar. Both boys had on combat boots which felt important, but he wasn't sure why.

He noticed both Hermione and Ginny practically drooling. The cloths the boys were wearing showed what school robs didn't; Allen and Kanda were extremely well toned and muscled, barely any fat on them. Hermione at least knew they were unavailable, but he supposed that didn't stop appreciation for what was obviously good eye-candy for girls.

'That's where we're headed tomorrow,' Mr Weasley's voice brought Harry back to himself. 'I don't suppose you would like to set up camp here and we can all head off together.'

'We would be asking way too much of you, especially after our less that polite arrival.'

Mrs Weasley woke up then and Mr Weasley explained what had happened. After that there was a lot of discussion before eventually Allen gave in and he and Kanda started setting up their tent in the yard while the Weasley's and their original guests finished their meal and had dessert before heading to bed. When Harry went to take his list to Mrs Weasley he overheard a conversation that the "adults" were having about the two boys.

'Talking about Mr Camelot so easily, they have to be closer than they claim,' Percy said. 'The man is the leading knowledge on all things transportation.'

'That whole family is ridiculous. I saw the inside of _one_ of their vaults once, and they make the Malfoys look like peasants with the amount they have in there.' Bill murmured.

'Now boys, it's not nice to gossip.' Mrs Weasley admonished. 'And you don't want to become like some of those other people, like Malfoy, being friendly with others just to get connections and advantages.'

'No, no you don't.' Charlie agreed.

'Still,' Mr Weasley chimed in, 'doesn't hurt to be friendly.'

'Don't suppose those boys could actually be part of that family?' Percy said.

'Unlikely, we'd know their names if they were.' Charlie pointed out.

'True, true,' Bill agreed softly.

Harry was left with more questions about the strange pair than ever before, because they were obviously the cause of the conversation he had just heard. Now he and his friends would have to look into "that Family" as well.

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	12. Goblet of Fire part 3

They all headed down to breakfast at a ridiculously early hour, after a short discussion about Apparating the subject of walking came up, and someone finally remembered the uninvited guests that were probably still asleep in the yard.

'We've got a bit of a walk,' Mr Weasley eventually said.

Harry frowned, 'didn't Allen say something about Stoatshead Hill and Portkeys?' He wondered aloud through his sleep muddled brain. Mr Weasley began explaining about avoiding attention from Muggles and Mrs Weasley gasped.

'We agreed to show them the way. I completely forgot, no one's woken them up yet!' she said and started mumbling as she walked out the door to find the tent that was meant to be set up in her back yard. A moment later she returned to tell them that Allen and Kanda were both awake and if they could get them on the way past that would be excellent.

After the hilarious scene with George and Fred trying to smuggle out Ton-Tongue Toffees, the group was finally able to leave. They arrived at a most interesting sight when they went to collect the other two boys.

Dressed in casual Muggle cloths that hid most of their skin, the two boys appeared to be doing exorcises next to the camping gear that had already been packed up. Allen seemed to be doing all sorts of complicated stretches (the human body should not be able to bend like that in Harry's opinion) and Kanda appeared to be completing some sort of dance that included a sword (where the hell had he been hiding that?).

This activity stopped as soon as they realised they had an audience. It took less than a minute for Allen and Kanda to have warmer cloths on and all their stuff on their backs so that everyone could start moving. Harry was impressed.

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Kanda had been up since about three, Allen hadn't slept. It was simply habit to have someone on watch and it was Allen's turn, he had spent the night sitting just outside the tent where Kanda was sleeping so as to have a clear view of their surroundings. If he was honest, he enjoyed this time to himself in the quiet, his sharp ears picking up only Kanda's breathing and the occasional rustle of small creatures moving about to disturb the quiet.

It really had been an accident that they ended up at the Weasleys, while the location of the Portkey had been chosen with a purpose they really had intended to camp next to it. Crashlanding on their current hosts' dinner was something they were going to have to discuss at length later.

When Kanda finally woke up at three, also habit, they had packed up the tent and started their normal morning routine. Mrs Weasley checked on them first, to make sure they were awake and would make it to the Portkey on time, but the others were still getting ready and so they still had a small wait until, finally, the rest of those walking joined them and it was time to head over to the Portkey.

As they walked, Kanda ignored the people around them and thought about various things that he wouldn't have even considered during the war, when he was nothing but a mindless warrior following orders. What was occupying his thoughts at the moment was why they were actually here. Beatrice was still trying to track them down for some reason, and he hoped that the precautions the ministry had put in place to keep Muggles out would keep her at bay as well. Then there was the other reason …

The Japanese boy glanced at Harry as he talked to Mr Weasley about the organisation of the World Cup and keeping Muggles out, things Kanda had been considering himself not that long ago. The boy simply refused to do what they wanted, and if something didn't change soon they may have to intervene, even more than they already were. He knew the problem was troubling his Moyashi; he had so many things to try and take care of, so many things that had to happen just so without it being obvious that they had been behind it, and only so many of those were things that others could help him with.

Finally, they arrived at the hill and it was time to think about other things.

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Mr Weasley was well aware that the conversation with Mr Diggory was nothing short of awkward. The man was as boastful as his son was modest, it didn't matter the "small details" as he put it if there was something he could be prideful about he would continue on no matter how wrong or insulting he was. Mr Weasley didn't even get to finish introductions before the man started on about various bits and pieces.

'Must be nearly time,' he interrupted before the situation got too out of hand. 'Do you know whether we're waiting for anymore, Amos?'

'No, the Lovegoods have been there for a week already and the Fawcett's couldn't get tickets. There was supposed to be two other people who experienced some last-minute changes of plans and were meant to be camping on this hill, but I don't see them so I guess something came up and they couldn't make it.'

'We are here, actually,' came a rather icy voice from the white-haired boy who had introduced himself as Allen last night. 'But perhaps we better wait for introductions until later; it's almost time so we should start getting ready.'

Mr Weasley agreed full heartedly with the boy, and soon the portkey had activated and they were off to the Quidditch World Cup.

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Harry was not pleased when he landed in the tangle of limbs. Even less so when he saw that five of their party had managed to avoid the same fate. Both adults and the three children that were not part of the Weasley group where all standing upright.

No, Harry was not pleased to have Kanda smirking down at him while he tried to get away from Ron without breaking anything; he was not pleased at all.

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Mr Diggory understood, in the very back of his mind with all the other things he didn't want to acknowledge, that his earlier behaviour was wrong. He knew that by interrupting Arthur and failing to notice the two boys he had offended them something shocking. He knew this but didn't really care. They were just two boys after all; it wasn't like their opinion _mattered_. At least that was what he had thought as he listened to Arthur and Basil talk about work and what campsites they were to go to.

'About a quarter of a mile's walk over there, first field you come to. Site manager's called Mr Roberts. Diggory … second field … ask for Mr Payne. Now the other group that came through should be … Noah? Do I have that right?' Mr Diggory silently agreed with that question, there was absolutely no way …

'Yes, that right. We aren't part of the Family but one of them is simply horrible at cards, a shame since he likes to bet so much. He wasn't happy to have to book more tickets so late, but then he shouldn't have wagered them if he didn't want to lose them.'

Basil gulped, 'with – with the Weasleys.'

'Thanks Basil.' Mr Weasley said as they walked off.

Mr Diggory stood frozen. Noah? Even if they weren't part of the family; to be able to get tickets from them, to know them well enough to play cards with them, and at that age …

Suddenly Mr Diggory found himself re-evaluating the worth of the opinions of the two boys he had just insulted.

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They set up camp with the Allen and Kanda taking up the site next to them, they had their tent up in what seemed like seconds compared to the Weasleys and disappeared inside. The only time they saw them was at lunch.

The trio had just arrived with the water when the two came out of their tent and started rustling through various bags to pull out was looked like a portable gas stove. In the hour it took for the Weasley's fire to get hot enough they alternated between listening to Mr Weasley introduce the ministry wizards walking by and watching Allen and Kanda prepare and eat lunch.

The first thing Hermione thought was that they must have done this before, many times, the second was that they were very skilled at making a lot out of nothing. She had seen them eat at school but that was nothing compared to this.

First was Kanda's food, the exact same meal he always ate every time at Hogwarts. She watched as the two boys moved in harmony to cook what she had leaned was called "soba" perfectly.

Then came Allen's food.

At school Allen had a habit of eating so that you could never quite figure out just how much he had eaten, seeming to be constantly filling and emptying his plate while never actually putting food in his mouth. Now she watched as a pot of water was brought out and filled with herbs and spices and some sort of meat and left to boil and turn into soup. She watched as various meats were removed from the bag by Allen, to be put on a hot plate and cooked to perfection. While he was doing that, Kanda was taking out what looked like a giant salad that was tossed and put aside. Finally, twenty sticks of something that looked like dough balls on skewers were pulled out and added to productions line of food, at some stage they had started another gas cooker.

The eggs and sausages that they ended up cooking looked rather dull in comparison.

Hermione was intrigued, the way they moved spoke of long practice; no moves wasted, never getting into each other's way. She also noticed that while there was a lot of food most was already prepared or was easy to throw together. What troubled her most was that while their food was extravagant there was something about the way they made it that reminded her of old war movies she had seen with her dad once, something about the way they moved that reminded her of soldiers. Combined with the combat boots the scene made her feel a bit unnerved.

She had no way of knowing that Harry was thinking the same thing, comparing them to soldiers in some of Dudley's games.

After a while Percy and the others arrived, followed by Ludo Bagman, and they all forgot about the feast the two boys seemed to be having.

The next time they made themselves known was when Ludo started talking about Gambling.

The moment the words "Fancy a flutter" left the larger man's mouth, Kanda watched as his Moyashi's head shot up, and he couldn't help but groaned internally. He had known Allen for a long time, but there was one thing that he had learnt very early on and had only been reaffirmed the longer he knew him; never let the Moyashi gamble. It wasn't that he lost; it was that he always won, with seemingly no exceptions. It didn't matter if it was cards or horse races, Kanda had yet to see him lose a bet.

As the group continued talking Kanda watched Allen walk up, no one noticed, and decided that the best course of action would be to follow him and try and deter these people from making the same mistake that so many before them had.

After the twins had finished placing their bet Moyashi made his move.

'Don't suppose you would be willing to let me in on the wager?' he said in his best non-threatening voice. When everyone turned to stare at him he held out a hand to the new comer. 'My name is Allen Walker, I know who you are of course, Mr Bagman, and I was wondering if you would be willing to let me join the bet, or point me out to someone else who would?' Kanda cringed, one thing he didn't need was more people being tricked out of their life savings.

Mr Bagman smiled good naturedly at what he thought was a young boy playing at an adult's game, the unfortunate fool.

'I don't see any reason not to,' Bagman said over the top of Mr Weasley's protests. 'What do you want to gamble?'

'I agree with Fred and George; Ireland will win but Krum will get the Snitch. As for the price … what's the highest I can bet that you can pay me for when I win without going into debt?' the boy was smiling, it wasn't his fake smile but the shark grin he gave as he placed the winning hand on the table. This man was screwed.

Bagman raised an eyebrow at the boy and said a price no person could possibly pay. Kanda could see he was confident, he had to be, if he lost then once the odds were added in this man would be taking their place on the streets.

'That's what I'll bet then,' Allen said with his smile, everyone's mouth fell open in shock. Kanda decided to intervene.

'Idiot,' he directed his words at adult, 'back out now. Moyashi has already swindled enough people out of their life savings without adding you to the list.'

Mr Bagman turned his raised an eyebrow on him, probably wondering what he was going on about.

'Brats never lost a bet, and you don't have a hope of paying him back on this. Trust me when I say he's damn near close to clairvoyant. If you don't want to back out completely lower the price, or you're a bigger idiot than I thought.' Allen was glaring at him now for stealing his fun, but when it came to gambling, Black Allen came out, and he didn't know how to show mercy.

Bagman was starting to look a little uncomfortable now. Kanda guessed he was wondering how a child who looked thirteen at most could gamble in the way he was hinting. Being clairvoyant was an art to be studied; natural born seers took a long time to train to the precision he was suggesting. Bagman probably couldn't find it in himself accept that the words might be true.

But he relented.

'Well, maybe it is a little mean to ask that much of a child, shall I say, fifty Galleons instead?' Allen looked disappointed but nodded his acceptance. They looked rather surprised when he handed over the money at once. When he had his bit of paper, he walked off back to the tent with Kanda close at his heals. The two had plans for the day and were willing to leave the others to their discussions.

It wouldn't do to tell them exactly what had happened to Bertha, those who needed to know had already read the signs; and those that chose not to would think them crazy if they actually said anything.

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	13. Goblet of Fire part 4

Allen sat next to Kanda in the top box; along with the Weasley Group, a house-elf, some guy with an invisibility charm, a couple of Ministers of magic from different countries, and the Malfoys. Everyone was too busy fussing over Harry and dealing with old rivalries to give them much notice, Allen just sat quietly and let them mess around with different things.

He wondered what would happen if they were to suddenly become aware of even _one_ of the names he had been called over the years, if someone were to tell them that any of those names belonged to him.

He knew it would be chaos not worth thinking about, so he didn't think about it, and just settled back to watch the game.

Harry found it interesting talking to Winky when his only other experiences with house-elves were Dobby and Kreacher. None of them were similar in any particular manner, and it was confusing trying to figure out what he could or could not say without offending the pour creature.

Oh well, he was here to watch a game. He wouldn't think about house elves, strange people who weren't human sitting in the same box, Ministers of Magic, or the fact that Malfoy had joined them. He was going to have fun no matter what.

Malfoy, for his part, noticed two students he suspected were Gryffindor second-years, or were they third-years now? He recognised them from last year when they had threatened to mutilate and/or traumatise him after he made a joke about Dementors, and in doing so proved to be completely crazy. He didn't know why they had reacted so strongly, he didn't know, and didn't care. He only cared about Harry Potter; Harry Potter and his stupid fame, and his stupid holier than thou attitude, and his stupid refusal to see Malfoy as a person, and his stupid Mudblood friend that kept beating him in every subject and making him look bad in front of his father.

And the worst part of all was that these stupid Mudbloods and blood traitors and that stupid stuck up Potter had something they didn't even know he was missing; the assurance that their parents cared about them.

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Hermione watched the boy's reactions to the Veela with something between amusement and concern. All the adults were blocking their ears and the boys had a look in their eyes that made her suspect that they were about to do something stupid, or at least stupider that normal, and it was a suspicion that was soon confirmed.

As she watched them, however, she was also looking at Allen and Kanda; neither of whom was reacting in any way. She thought she may have read something about Veela while researching Hagrid's case last year; something about they couldn't attract those not interested in their sex …

Oh, right.

Allen and Kanda were _together_ , trying to flirt with them was like trying to flirt with her or Ginny for a creature with a Veela's type of compulsion or allure, it wouldn't work.

She also noticed, as she observed the two in their complete lack of interest, that Allen's white hair was strangely reminiscent of the Veela; maybe they had found a clue.

She was side tracked from her thoughts, however, when Harry started making a move to jump off the stands.

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After Bagman had finished paying the Weasley boys their earnings, he turned to see the smiling face of the white-haired boy from earlier. The boy held out his ticket and waited for his money.

Seeing his smiling face Bagman went pale as he vividly recalled the original amount he had set as the bid. If he had gone through with that he would be in a _tiny_ spot of bother right about now, more than he already was. He couldn't help but feel ridiculously grateful to the dark-haired boy who was scowling from behind the white-haired imp. If that one hadn't warned him he would currently be in more debt than he could ever pay back, even after several lifetimes of servitude.

Somewhere in the back of his mind Bagman was wondering if it would be possible to put a ban on the boy or create laws to stop him doing what he was doing. When it came to gambling the child was a menace.

He then remembered that there were such laws, he had just ignored them.

Curse his foolishness; one day he would have to learn.

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'So, Yuu, what did you think of the game?' Allen's quiet voice said as they trudged back to their tent after he had received his winnings, winnings he knew the true value of but didn't comment on just yet.

'It was incredibly dirty,' was Kanda's short reply, Allen smiled one of his rare smiles.

'I was asking if you enjoyed it, BaKanda.' Now Kanda was smiling, and if Allen's true smiles were rare Kanda's were even more so.

'Of course I enjoyed it, but I wish it had lasted longer, though the way they were playing that might have been dangerous.'

Allen laughed softly as they entered their non-enhanced tent, pulling Kanda to the mattress they had set up earlier.

'Moyashi,' Kanda growled in his ear, 'What do you think you're doing?' He knew exactly what Allen was doing; he also didn't think it was appropriate.

'BaKanda, we have a few hours before the second event starts. Why not take advantage of the short time before we get busy again?'

Kanda never could say no to Allen for long.

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Allen was on watch when the "Fireworks" started. He was inside and waking Kanda quicker than you could say innocence. They arrived outside at the same time as the Weasleys' group, and went to stand next to them as they all watched what was happening. Allen felt sick to his stomach when he saw what those freaks were doing, even though he had known it was coming. It dragged up too many memories he would rather stay buried; he didn't have time to have a breakdown at the moment, he had a job to do.

'I'll come fetch you when we've sorted this out!' Mr Weasley was yelling at the children that he had brought with him, both to the match and out of the tent. With a nod Allen and Kanda also split up; Allen stayed just long enough to see Kanda get to the group of children before he took off after the adults.

'What on earth are you doing here?' Mr Weasley and several other officials shrieked when they saw the child running up to join them. Allen was well aware of how old he looked, he also knew that these people needed help and they were going to get it, whether they liked it or not.

He looked at the child that was spinning; so small, so undeserving of the things it was being forced to go through for no other reason than the resentment of others. That would be his first priority.

He lifted his wand and pointed it at the child. He could hear cursing around him as the adults assumed he was going to do something foolish, but he ignored it, and started to chant under his breath a spell these people wouldn't recognize, even if they could hear it. Like all magic, it was the emotion behind it that offered fuel rather than the words spoken, and so as he spoke he concentrated on the need to protect. He was very relieved when he managed to finish the spell before the others started to act on their little misunderstanding.

The child started to fall.

But it didn't fall down, and it didn't fall fast; rather the child started to drift on a diagonal right down into Allen's waiting arms. To the adults it must have been a strange sight, to watch the small boy catch a child that was even smaller. They watched as Allen's wand was put away so that he could better hold and comfort the child that had started to cry; those that were close enough could see the glow of the burning fires that had been lit around the campsite reflected off those angry eyes, and it made them feel like they were staring into hell.

Then Allen held the child out to the closest official, who happened to be Mr Crouch.

'If he gets hurt at all I will make the rest of your life miserable, I guarantee.' With the lighting Allen knew he looked rather demonic, hopefully that would help convince this man to look after the child rather than chance him to someone else.

With his hands no longer full Allen once again turned his attention back to the mob and the people they were stringing along above. If they had noticed their missing "toy" they hadn't reacted at all, still they continued to march and play with the ones they had left. Then Allen realised that while the mob was marching on the people around him seemed frozen. He glared at them.

'I would have thought that you would have had better things to do at the moment than stare at me, like saving the rest of the family and arresting those responsible for this chaos.'

The adults seemed to regain their composure and the majority once again fell onto the moving mass of wizards and witches. A few stayed with him as he also turned his attention back to the three muggles still in the air, whether they were there to help or hinder him he didn't know and didn't care, he was busy and if they got in his way they would dealt with accordingly.

He needed to get the rest of the family down so the ministry wizards could do their job and catch those responsible without fear for the poor family already being tormented. There were many ways he could do it, but they all had a draw back. The spell he had used before took a lot of energy because he was so young, he could cast it once more before he would pass out from exhaustion.

Most of the other spells that a wizard was likely to be able to perform all had the same down side in this situation, that with all the magic already being cast on the family, adding more would do more harm than good when they didn't know exactly what had been used, especially if that spell was in direct conflict with those that were already in use, or a couple of the few that would literally cancel each other out or caused explosions when they collided. There was only really one way to get them down; put an end to the actions of these maniacs and catch them as they fell. There was, however, one more thing Allen could do before that.

Protection spells were his specialty after all.

With these people so close to him it would probably be better to let them know what he was doing, in order to avoid more misunderstandings, so he didn't mumble this time; instead he spoke loudly and clearly as he cast the rather complicated spell. If he was paying attention to those officials, he probably would have heard many exclamations of surprise at his use of a spell that should be so very far above the knowledge of a child his age. The spell was intricate; something that would hover around the family and not interfere with other spells, but when those spells disappeared this one would sink into the skin and stop them from moving in _any_ directions quicker than walking pace, effectively slowing their fall. The spell would also prevent any further spells cast at them from taking effect.

It was not a spell a thirteen-year-old boy should be able to perform, most adults couldn't do it as it was harder than a partonus, but then they could hardly complain as the spell would most likely be the one that saved these muggles' lives. He suspected he heard the words "underage magic" from one of his stalkers but he really didn't care, anyone who was worried about that at the moment didn't deserve to be in the ministry in his opinion.

Now that the Muggles were safe he was free to do what he liked, in other words, destroy these people who thought it fun to laugh at the pain of others.

He fell on the mob in seconds, the wizards who had stayed to watch following right behind him. Now that these wizards and witches, at least, knew that there was something protecting the muggles from a nasty fall they could attack the mob with a bit more ferocity. The spells that were cast were a little harder in terms of impact than the ones before. Allen was casting spells with the rest, but he was also resorting to physical moves when he deemed their use more effective. He knew he got stares caused by a full range of emotions from both sides, but he didn't have the luxury of worrying about that right then. He had bigger problems to worry about.

Like his decreasing strength.

That first spell had taken a lot out of him, and all the spells and physical moves he continued to use were just making it worse. He didn't know how long he was fighting for, or why the people in robs and masks suddenly started disappearing when they had been so insistent before. He was standing just long enough to watch the officials begin preparation that would allow them to catch the muggles safely after their slowed decent had brought them closer to the ground, but after that his vision went black and he knew no more.

Kanda was going to kill him.

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Kanda moved to follow Fred, George, Ginny, Harry, Ron and Hermione. They didn't notice him following them until they reached the trees and turned back, they got rather a surprise when they saw him.

'What are doing here?' Ron almost shouted. Kanda glared at him.

'Getting to safety, obviously,' he said darkly. The question was stupid; everyone was heading in this direction, everyone but the ones heading to save the muggles.

Kanda turned around and looked behind him just in time to catch a glimpse of white running with the rest that had decided to fight the mob. The whole group looked back as well before they started to move again, Kanda with them. He knew they were suspicious, knew they wanted to know where Allen was, but they said nothing as they continued to move with the crowed in the dark.

Then Ron fell, and Kanda cursed him. The rest of the Weasley's kept moving without noticing while the boy's friends stayed to help, the group had split up.

He hoped the Moyashi was having better luck.

He was worried; he was very worried about not having the boy at his side. Bad things happened when the two separated; this was something that had been ingrained in him. The last time they had split up had been when …

 _Don't think about it_ , he told himself. _You actually need to be able to function to try and protect this idiotic trio_.

'Well it's not hard to with those feet.' He turned with the rest of them to see the blond, not white, haired boy leaning against the tree. Draco Malfoy, fourth year Slytherin obsessed with Harry and his friends. Kanda recognised him from his highly inappropriate "Jokes" about Dementors last year, but probably would have known him anyway. Kanda and Allen didn't know everyone, but they knew quite a few students in their school and Malfoy was famous in certain circles.

He watched the exchange from the shadows, blending into the background unnoticed. He was probably the only one who noticed that there was actual concern in the warning the boy gave, he didn't agree with what the mob was doing. This boy was no different from Harry's cousin, a boy that may have been a little bit better if not for the poison his parents shed.

Parents.

'Where're your parents? Out there wearing masks, are they?'

The boy just smiled. 'Well … if they were, I wouldn't be likely to tell you, would I, Potter?'

Kanda was probably again the only one that noticed the pain in the boy's eyes as he said it. Yes, it would hurt to come here with your family to do something _normal_ and then to have them abandon you to have fun with old colleagues. It would cut deep that your parents would rather do something that was likely to get them in trouble, arrested even, than to spend the night with their own son.

It wasn't something you would likely admit to your enemies, that your parents hated muggles more than they loved you.

'Oh, come on, let's go and find the others.' Hermione, forever acting as the voice of reason.

'Keep that big bushy head down, Granger,' Malfoy threw the last warning after them.


	14. Goblet of Fire part 5

_Previously: 'Keep that big bushy head down, Granger,' Malfoy threw the last warning after them._

Kanda continued to follow them as they talked about the boy they had just past, none of them knowing just how broken he was. It took the trio a while to realise that they had lost the rest of their companions.

It was about the time that the trio came to this realisation that a girl from a group of teenagers standing nearby noticed them. She turned to them and started talking in French.

' _Où est Madame Maxime? Nous l'avons perdue_ _–'_ the girl started talking, the words roughly translated in Kanda's head due the amount of time he had spent in other countries and around people who insisted he should be able to speak in more than two languages.

" _Where is Madam Maxime? We have lost her –_ " or something like that. Languages were Moyashi's thing, not his.

'Er – what?' Ron really got on Kanda's nerves, always had and, by the sound of that, always would.

'Oh …' the girl turned away, ''Ogwarts.'

Kanda spoke up then before she could get too far away.

'Je ne l'ai pas vue.' He thought that was what he wanted to say, it should be roughly right. The girl nodded so he got the point across at least.

They started walking again; the trio had looked surprised when they heard Kanda speak, whether because they had forgotten he was there or because he had attempted to speech in French he didn't know.

'That girl was from Beaubatons, wasn't she? She must have been.' Hermione started.

'Beaubatons?' Harry asked. Kanda occasionally wondered at the boy's ignorance, and then he remembered his upbringing and the surprise disappeared.

Ron interrupted Hermione's explanation to bring them back to the problem at hand, it was then that they discovered Harry's lost wand. There was a very short discussion about where it could have gotten to, but Kanda didn't participate.

He had a new appreciation for the Moyashi's skills after seeing the wand get pickpocketed by the person under an invisibility charm during the game. He also had a new lack of respect for the boy that had let his wand get taken so easily.

It was then that they ran into the house-elf Winky. Hermione and Ron began another argument that Kanda noticed Harry stayed out off. He wondered vaguely if the boy had told his friends he had a house-elf, and what Harry's opinions were on what his friends were saying given the fact that he was the only one out of the three of them to have had anything close to regular contact with the elves.

If the trio actually succeeded in being friends him and Allen that year it would be an interesting discussion those three and Allen could have. Allen, after all, had some very specific and strange opinions about house-elves. Then again, such a discussion was also likely to end in screaming and blood shed, or at least rather injured feelings, as this particular topic was also one Allen was rather sensitive about.

Their discussion was interrupted by a bang and the group started moving a little faster, Kanda just hoped the Moyashi wasn't doing anything stupid.

When they passed the Veela Kanda almost laughed, especially when Ron started shouting with the rest of them. He had never understood people's fascination with Veela; they weren't of a form that was in anyway appealing to him, what with the entire species being female, nor were they as beautiful as his Moyashi. Actually, considering what he knew about them and their origins, maybe he did understand; he just didn't experience it the way others did.

Kanda took in Bagman's appearance as he stepped out from behind the tree, the man looked awful. The Trio also looked surprised to see him, especially when he admitted to not knowing about the Riot going on. Kanda, on the other hand, was thinking about something Moyashi had said about the gold he had been paid after the match, and about Goblins cackling over a sack while everyone else ran in panic.

This was something he would have to think about. While he was developing a growing hatred for Ron he had a soft spot for the kind of trouble his twin brothers caused, at least when it wasn't directed at him.

Kanda stayed standing and on high alert while the others slowly relaxed in the quiet. He noticed Harry was also standing slightly on guard, at least at first, but that disappeared when they started talking about Malfoy. This was why he was following these children; because they had no idea what it was like to fight, to be on the front lines of battle, to be in the middle of an attack with an unknown enemy.

Kanda was also keeping an eye on the invisible person in the trees, someone the others were completely unaware of, probably because they were distracted while talking about the broken boy from before. He wondered at how callouses these children, even Harry, were towards someone they didn't even know.

Then again, he hadn't been much better, once upon a time.

Finally, the children became aware of the other presence, just as the man lifted Harry's stolen wand to the sky and cast a spell.

' _MORSMORDRE!_ '

Now things were going to go to hell.

Kanda moved with the others as they started trying to get away from the danger they only now perceived, and then helped Harry drag the other two down as the stunning spells ricocheted over their heads. He stood with them as Mr Crouch yelled about them being responsible, though everyone else seemed to think it unlikely.

Kanda watched the interactions between the ministry workers and the house elf. As the interactions about the specific casting of the spell and who was responsible continued, Kanda's dislike for these fools who were supposed to help lead this country increased. He hated Mr Bagman's incompetence, he was also disgusted by Mr Diggory's behaviour; his rudeness, accusations and total disrespect for everyone and everything around him. He pitied Mr Crouch, but thought that his position and circumstance were no excuse for his behaviour, especially as they were caused by his own actions, and he watched as said man found the person who was invisible and then acted as if he wasn't there.

After Mr Crouch so cruelly dismissed his elf as a form of resolution for the fiasco, Kanda spoke up for the first time during the resulting silence, and was greeted by a whole heap of wands pointed at him. He realised, with something between horror, amusement and despair, that none of these officials had noticed him standing with the other three children. It was kind of ridiculous.

'What happened to the mob,' that was all he had said.

'Who the hell are you? And when did you get here?' asked Mr Crouch, Kanda couldn't help the look that came over his face.

'Are the lot of you blind? I've been here the entire time you were talking.' Kanda growled.

'That's Kanda,' Hermione answered, 'He's been with us since we entered to wood.'

Bagman was looking at him, Mr Diggory was also looking at him, both had that look of "I've seen you before but can't think where" and it was annoying. Kanda sighed before he addressed the Ministry workers.

'I came here with Allen Walker,' Kanda wondered if the trio realised it was the first time he had called the boy by name in their presence in the last two years. 'We travelled by the same Portkey as Mr Diggory and Allen made a bet against Bagman.' He watched as the looks of confusion on the two men's face cleared up, and then Mr Diggory went pale.

'You're the one that arrived under the name Noah.' Suddenly all the Ministry workers were losing colour. Kanda cursed in his head, why did all these people insist on associating them with that lot?

'Moyashi won the Tickets of one of them in a bet. Speaking of Moyashi, have you lot seen him? Boy this high with white hair? Can't miss him.' He watched the looks that passed over some of these people's faces and felt his stomach drop.

'He's in one of the medical tents,' the woman who had pointed out that they were children said. Kanda started to feel a little sick. 'He did a marvellous job of helping us deal with the rioters; after they disappeared he fainted from exhaustion, nothing to worry. I'll take you to him if you want.' The woman had a kind look on her face. He heard Mr Weasley say they were also leaving and asking for Harry's wand back, then they all left together.

Hermione was talking about house-elves again. '- it was like she wasn't even human!'

'Well, she's not,' Kanda was filled with hate towards the red head for that comment. He knew that Harry had heard them say they weren't human, knew that the boy had told his friends, knew they were suspicious of them; yet this boy said that the house-elf wasn't human as if that excused all the things that had been done to her.

Thoughts of his Moyashi were all that stopped him from turning around and killing the boy right then and there, he was never happier than when they split ways.

They arrived at the tent and there was his Moyashi, sleeping soundly with only a few cuts and bruises. Kanda wanted to kill him for allowing himself to get like that, the stupid idiot was supposed to be careful. Kanda wasn't sure if he was more angry or relieved to see him relatively okay.

'He was excellent, the way he fought; I don't think I've seen anything like it,' one of the medi-witches was saying. 'There was this one spell that he used but they don't know what it was; he cast it on the smallest child and it negated all the spells on him and got him down.' Kanda nodded vaguely, he knew the spell that Allen had most likely used, and it would explain why he had collapsed.

After a while other wizards and witches came in and started asking questions he couldn't or wouldn't answer, he was rather annoyed at how noisy they were being.

Then their "adopted sister" came to pick them up and suddenly there were no more questions, no more people being nosy. Their sister simply asked for a list of things they need answered, saying she would return it to them before her brothers left for Hogwarts, and they were on their way, Allen in her arms.

Just sometimes Kanda was glad they had friends in high places, not often, but sometimes.

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Harry, Ron and Hermione arrived back at the tent, explained what happened, and had some of their questions answered. It was a very informative conversation about Voldemort and his followers, "Death Eaters". It was informative on another matter as well.

'Who was that boy, Dad?' Charlie asked as the others were shoed back to bed. 'The white-haired kid who did all that damage to the Death Eaters?'

The trio looked at each other as they walked away, white haired kid? Damage to Death Eaters?

Mr Weasley hesitated before answering. 'I think that was Allen.' There was a moment of silence and the trio guessed the three other adults were staring at him.

'Allen? As in the Kid that stayed at our place yesterday; the one that knew Mr Camelot?' Percy sounded stunned.

'The camp site was booked under Noah as well, though both of them deny they're part of the family, they're definitely connected in some way.' Mr Weasley told him.

Bill gave a low whistle. 'It would explain something if he was part of the family, they're all ridiculous. Wonder why they would lie about it though?' he muttered.

Mr Weasley suddenly sounded brisk. 'Well, it's something we can wonder about later, though I doubt we would ever understand. Come on, let's get some sleep.'

And that was the end of the conversation.

Later, Harry lay in bed and thought about some of the many things had happened or been brought to his attention recently while he tried to go to sleep. He thought about the mark, his scar hurting, and Sirius. He realised that he should probably send a letter home to tell him he was alright, especially if news spread as fast as Mr Weasley was hinting. He wondered if he would even have time to send a note or if Sirius would just suddenly rock up at the Weasley's to check on him.

The last thing he thought of as he drifted off to the sound of Charlie's snores was that he would have to get Hermione to look up this "Noah" group, whoever they were.

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After Harry arrived back at the Burrow and while Mr Weasley and Percy were heading back out to the Ministry, Harry had to ask a question.

'Mrs Weasley, is there a very quick way for me to contact Sirius? It's just … if he sees that before he knows I'm alright he might get worried about me, like you did about all of us,' Harry muttered. Mrs Weasley suddenly looked horrified.

'Oh goodness! I didn't even think about that at all!' Mrs Weasley was now distracted enough to let Mr Weasley out the door. 'Of course, you and Hermione should contact your Guardians! What was I thinking?' with that he was bundled towards the fire place after the other two had left. There Mrs Weasley showed him how to use the Floo powder to have a conversation.

Harry stuck his head into the fire place to be greeted by a rather surprised Kreacher.

'Kreacher, is Sirius home?' Harry tried to sound calm while he said it. Kreacher didn't have time to respond before Sirius burst into the room with the _Daily Prophet_ in a white knuckled grip and his face pale. He took one look at Harry poking out of the fire place and collapsed against the wall.

'Hey, Sirius, I see you saw the paper.' Harry almost wanted to laugh at the look on his Godfathers face, but the situation was really not appropriate for laughing.

'Harry, thank god. Are you okay? Are the Weasleys? What the hell happened?' Harry was now very glad that he hadn't laughed, Sirius looked as if he was about to order him home.

'I'm fine, Sirius, everyone's fine. It was just some people being stupid. Don't worry about it.'

'I bloody well will worry about it, Harry! I have lost more people than I can count under that bloody mark!'

That sentence continued on to an hour-long debate, with Sirius all but demanding that Harry pack his bags and come home and Harry trying to calm him down. Eventually Harry managed to talk Sirius out of making any rash decisions (finding a way over to the Weasleys to drag him back himself) and convince him that he would be safe at the Weasleys for the one week that remained of the Holidays. Finally, he was able to return the use of the fire place to the Weasleys.

'Thank you, Mrs Weasley, sorry I took so long.' Harry said to her after he found her in the kitchen.

'That's fine, Harry, though I was wondering what was happening. Maybe it would have been better if I had just sent you through?'

'If you had he wouldn't have let me come back. He was very worried about what he read in the paper.

'Where are Hermione and Ron?' he quickly changed the subject.

'In Ron's room I think.' With that Harry excused himself to go and talk to his friends.

'What are you smiling for?' Ron asked.

'Nothing,' Was Harry's reply, he could hardly say that he hadn't stopped smiling since Sirius had started shouting about how worried he had been. The Dursleys would have asked why he hadn't done them a favour and died. 'Any way, there was something I wanted to tell you about.' And with that he told them about his scar hurting, including Sirius's reaction. That continued for a while before Harry brought up predictions.

'You remember what professor Trelawney said? Last Year?' Hermione got an interesting look on her face but didn't comment. She was known for her scepticism about Trelawney being a true seer, but that incident had her questioning that. She didn't truly believe the woman, but she no longer dismissed everything she said out right.

'Well, after Peter was revealed Allen came up behind me and asked if I understood the second Prophecy yet. That prophecy said the Dark Lord would rise again … _greater and more terrible than ever before_ ... and he'd manage it because his servant was going to go back to him … and soon after Trelawney said that, Wormtail escaped.' There was silence for a little while before Hermione spoke again.

'You do realise that once again we start looking into something and Allen comes up. We said last year we would look into those two, and then we got distracted. When it occurred to us to look into them again we found out about them being … together … and kind of decided against further investigation. But this is getting ridiculous, somethings I wonder if they're _trying_ to make us suspicious. This year we need to look into them, not half-heartedly but actually _try_ to make friends with them and figure them out.' Ron and Harry agreed, and Harry promised that he would start looking for the list they had made the year before.

Then Ron mentioned Quidditch and the two boys left.

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	15. Goblet of Fire part 6

_Previously: '…This year we need to look into them, not half-heartedly but actually try to make friends with them and figure them out.' Ron and Harry agreed, and Harry promised that he would start looking for the list they had made the year before. Then Ron mentioned Quidditch and the two boys left._

The rest of the time until they had to go to Hogwarts passed rather peacefully, with only a few small hiccups like Ron's dress robes and some guy called Mad-eye and the trip over, but other than that things passed rather smoothly up until they got on the train.

Why things insisted on happening on the train the trio would never know, they just knew that for the first time since the Black and White Duo had arrived at Hogwarts they were sitting in a compartment and looking rather unhappy.

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Kanda walked into the bedroom to see Allen sitting up and looking at papers. He was not allowed to leave the bed, and had been yelled at most severely once already when he had tried. His response had been to ask if he could have everything brought to him, then, since they wouldn't let him go to it.

Now Allen was looking at all the bits and pieces with a look that said quite clearly that something was wrong.

'So many dead and I can't save them all,' it was a mutter Allen probably hadn't expect to be heard.

Kanda snorted and Allen jumped.

'Then don't try to.' Allen looked pained at his statement; this was something they would never agree on. Before Allen could comment Kanda started talking again.

'We have to ride the train this year. No idea why, don't particularly care, but we're riding it "whether we like it or not" as they said.'

Allen let out a soft groan.

'I hate trains. Why can't we just use the Ark?'

'I just said that I have no idea and I that I don't care, or were you too stupid to listen, Moyashi?' Allen smiled.

'BaKanda, I'm smarter than you.' Kanda also smiled and sat on the bed with him after moving the papers. The Ministry was a group of idiots, they seemed intent on doing stupid things and Kanda would never understand the Beansprout's obsession with saving hopeless people.

And so it was that the two of them found themselves sitting in a train compartment with the Idiot Trio. They were not happy.

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Ron, Harry and Hermione entered their Compartment after saying goodbye to find that two other people had joined them. Allen Walker and Yuu Kanda were sitting as far from the door as they could get and looked as if they would rather be jumping out the window than traveling on the train. There was a short silence as the trio tried to process what they were seeing.

'Umm, hello,' Hermione finally decided to start conversation.

'Hello, Hermione, Harry, it's good to see you again. We didn't get much of a chance to talk the last time we saw each other, did we?' Allen was smiling at them, ever the polite one. Or, almost polite.

'Hey! Why'd you ignore me?' Ron gaped at them. 'What's the big idea? This is our compartment and it was our dinner you landed on the last time we saw you, what right do you have to barge in and completely ignore me?'

'My apologies, Ronald,' Allen's voice dropped a few degrees, 'I'm just not very fond of you at the moment.' The trio stared at him. 'Just give me a little time to get over certain things and I will be right back to acknowledging your presence.'

'What things-'

'Shh!' Hermione cut him off. They then heard a rather interesting conversation about Malfoy going to Durmstrang before Hermione shut the door and they all go comfy in their seats. The trio then had an interesting conversation about other schools, with only minor inputs from the Duo.

'… Well, everyone who's read _Hogwarts: A history_ , anyway.'

'Just you, then,' Ron said, and probably would have continued if not for Allen's interruption.

'And us, and all of Ravenclaw, and most students that could get their hands on it when we were in our first year. So, it would be more accurately everyone _but_ you.' Allen said in a voice that sounded both polite and threatening at the same time. No one, not even Kanda, was sure how he managed to pull it off.

There was silence until Harry spoke.

'And me. So – how do you hide a place like Hogwarts?' the trio then continued to discuss the various ways that buildings could be hidden. The second time the duo spoke up again was when Ron once again opened his mouth, this time about Malfoy.

'… Shame his mother likes him …'

'You really need think before you start speaking allowed, Ronald, or you might just get yourself into something you can't get out of. I would also recommend not talking about things you don't understand.' Allen was once again the one who spoke. For the first time it clicked in Harry's brain that Allen was _always_ the one that spoke, Kanda almost never spoke unless Allen had said something and already dragged them into the conversation.

Ron glared at Allen. 'What's that supposed to mean? You didn't seem too keen on him either last year.'

'Last year I cautioned him against doing the exact same thing you're doing now. It was never anything personal against him, I just can't stand idiots.' He seemed to think for a split second before continuing, 'with the exception of Kanda.'

The trio looked at him and Kanda raised an eyebrow, but none of them said anything.

'You … don't hate Malfoy?' Harry finally managed to speak. Allen looked at him.

'I don't know him well enough, and I doubt you do either.' He said.

'Oh, I do, trust me,' Ron started. 'He's evil and selfish and slimy, always has been and always will be.'

And Allen was smiling, but it wasn't a happy smile or even an empty smile, like so many of his were. It was a sad smile like the one Hermione's Grandpa had given her when she was talking about a kid she didn't like; it was the smile of a person who had seen so much more and knew so much better and was watching a child repeat all their mistakes.

'Do you think people are ever born evil, Ronald?'

'Some are,' he muttered. Allen's face didn't change.

'Have you ever seen a baby, Ronald? Have you ever seen an infant; tiny, pink and wailing for their mother? So fragile they can die if you hold them too tight, so week they can't sit up by themselves, have you ever seen a small, pink human and thought "that kids going to grow up to destroy the world"? I bet you haven't.

'No child is born evil, Ronald. Some just never get the chance to be good. Some have poison whispered in their ears from the moment they are born, put there by parents or caregivers. Some will have something happen, something that will darken their hearts and make them think that the only way to help people is to hurt them. Some are simply weak; they are not born bad, they simply do not have the strength to turn from darkness.' Harry suddenly thought of Wormtail, but he wasn't sure why.

'Some people are strong; some people will cling to light no matter what, but these people are usually the minority.

'So no, Ronald, I do not know Malfoy well enough to hate him and I don't think you do either. I do, however, know him well enough to pity him. I pity the boy whose parents only ever taught how to hate and not to love. Imagine having parents that told you that you had to hate someone just because of how they were born but never said I love you. Parents that wanted to send you as far away as possible just so that you could learn how to hurt people better.

'You say it's a shame his mother likes him? I think he wouldn't be the way he was if his father bothered to let him know he shared the sentiment.' There was silence in the compartment, before Kanda let out a snort and Allen sighed.

'Yes, Kanda, I know your opinion.'

'What's his opinion?' Hermione asked.

Kanda glared at her, 'the opposite.' He stated simply. The trio looked confused and Allen smiled again.

'Kanda believes that, rather than no person being born bad, no person is born good. Kanda thinks if it's human than its evil, with extremely rare exceptions that usually get killed before they can actually make a difference.'

No one could find words after that, Harry didn't think there were any and was too wrapped up in his own thoughts to voice them if there were. He was thinking about Dudley and how different he was away from his mother and father. He was also thinking about his upbringing in a family that hated Magic and how, when you thought about it, the Malfoys weren't that different from the Dursleys.

He was also remembering Allen's reaction to Dementors and was trying to imagine something a person could survive that would cause this kind of outlook on life and that kind of trauma. He was coming up blank.

Hermione was trying to picture her parents raising her to hate something that completely, trying to picture her parents not saying I love you every day.

And Ron, Ron was really starting to hate these two. He wasn't sure why, but they seemed to rub him the wrong way, get under his skin and make him twitch.

The silence continued as the lunch trolley came and Harry tried to buy Cauldron Cakes for everyone, but Allen and Kanda politely declined. Then Allen bought almost everything on the trolley and proceeded to eat it all while Kanda just pulled something out of his bag muttering something about "too sweet" and the trio couldn't help but stare.

Eventually several of the Trio's friends started wondering around and looking in. Allen and Kanda were stared at, and then ignored as Allen was clearly asleep and Kanda seemed instant upon glaring at everyone who stopped by. They were even ignored by Malfoy when he made his usual appearance.

Harry watched Malfoy prance and preen and insult them as he hinted at things they didn't know about, and he thought about what Allen had said. He also remembered his behaviour when he and Draco had first met.

Malfoy had been a self-centred little prat, there was no way around that, but Harry hadn't said anything to him about it. As Malfoy insulted people Harry knew he hadn't told him to stop, hadn't stood up to the blond about the people that he was talking about, he had just refused the other boys friendship without giving a reason as to why.

Would things have been different if he had told Malfoy what he was saying was wrong in the dress shop? Or if he had told the boy that the reason he didn't want to be friends was because he was rude, rather than just implying that he was the wrong sort and probably insulting him the process?

Harry didn't know; he suspected he never would.

Ron, on the other hand, thought that Allen couldn't be more wrong after that conversation. Malfoy was a git and Ron didn't care how or why, nothing would change that.

The rest of the train ride proceeded with Ron fuming and Allen sleeping, finally it was nearly time to arrive and the trio changed into their school robes (the duo were already wearing theirs) and Kanda woke Allen. Just before he did Harry could have sworn he heard the other boy whimper, but he managed to convince himself it was just his imagination.

The five of them walked off the train together and into a down poor. Allen hitched his cloths higher and for the first time Harry realised he had his snake wrapped around his neck. Harry concentrated on the two and was able to hear the quiet conversation that was going on.

" _It's cold, why couldn't you have left me in the suitcase?"_

" _Because you would be cold there to, and you would suffocate."_

Harry had quiet forgotten about Maria; he had also forgotten that Kanda didn't have a familiar anymore as his last one had had turned out to be Harry's Godfather.

Harry pushed it from his mind as he said hello to Hagrid and moved towards the horseless carriages. He watched as the two younger students did a double take when they saw the carriages before climbing to one hesitantly (they wouldn't fit in the same one as them) and wondered what that was about. Then he put that from his mind as well with the resolution to add it to the list later as their carriage moved forward.

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Kanda had sat through the conversation the trio had with Moyashi, he listened to his Moyashi's speech and couldn't help the snort he let out afterwards. That was the one thing the two of them would never agree on, and yet it was the Moyashi's opinion on the subject that made him love him even more. The two were complete opposites in every way, and they complimented each other brilliantly. His Moyashi was everything he wished he was, and Kanda was everything needed to balance the Moyashi out.

Kanda watched as the Moyashi fell asleep, the boy hated trains and the memories they dragged up, it was probably best that he slept through it and Kanda would just have to hope he didn't have a nightmare. Of course, because Moyashi was sleeping it meant that Kanda couldn't, so he had to listen to the useless prattle of these people as they talked about the Quidditch game and international teams versus individual players. It amazed him how easily they cast away the events that followed that particular event.

When they were just about to arrive the Moyashi had started to slip into a nightmare. He recognised the signs as his breathing sped just slightly and he whimpered in his sleep. Kanda woke him quickly before it got too bad, though he would have had to soon anyway.

He watched as his Moyashi had to lift his robs higher to try and keep the snake around his neck warm, a snake that was more trouble than she was worth in Kanda's opinion.

Maria was surprisingly protective of the Moyashi, and refused to admit it. Whether at home or at school there was nothing she loved more than to lie curled up around his neck or just continuously wrap around his body. She had her own bag she insisted on being carried in when they were moving or just ran loose in whatever alley they were sleeping in at the time. He could hear her now as they moved through the rain, probably complaining about the cold and wishing she was in Moyashi's suitcase, but if he had actually left her there they never would have heard the end of it.

Kanda and Allen sometimes wondered what Cross would think about Maria given what they had named her, then they realised they didn't care what that bastard thought.

They had to split from the group when they arrived at the carriages because, apparently, they only sat four. When they both saw what was pulling them they did a double take; Thestrals, the carriages were being pulled by Thestrals. They both knew they weren't dangerous, but it was still interesting to watch the strange creatures being ignored by the majority of the students.

Once they were seated and the carriage was moving, Kanda watched the Moyashi cast warming and water repellent spells on Maria and heard her hiss of appreciation. Kanda wasn't a parselmouth but he knew her well enough to guess.

This was going to be an interesting year.

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	16. Goblet of Fire part 7

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Nevil found themselves waiting calmly inside the Entrance Hall for Allen and Kanda to arrive. Or, they would have been waiting calmly, if not for Peeves causing trouble. Peeves was zooming around in the air throwing water balloons and Professor McGonagall was shouting at him.

'Not doing nothing! Already wet, aren't they? Little squirts! Wheeeeeeeee!' before Peeves could throw the next water balloon, however, another voice range though the hall.

'Peeves!' it seemed Allen and Kanda had arrived, it was Kanda's very angry voice after all.

Peeves went pale (if that was possible for a ghost) and started mumbling all sorts of apologies to a "Master Kanda" before whizzing off with all his balloons safely in his arms. Students and Professor alike turned to stare at the Japanese boy after the poltergeist had retreated.

'What?' he asked in a rather annoyed sounding voice, everyone suddenly found other things to be doing.

'Well, move along, then!' professor McGonagall finally found her voice. 'Into the Great Hall, come on!'

As the duo caught up with the trio and they all moved carefully towards the Hall, Ron noticed something, or at least was only one to comment on it.

'Hey, how come you two are dry while we're all soaked?' He said a little louder than he probably should have.

'Because apparently we're the only ones who thought to use drying and water repelling charms on our cloths and hair,' Allen said with a raised eyebrow. 'Also, because it's bad for Maria to stay wet for too long.'

'Who's Maria?' Hermione asked just as a scaled head came poking out of Allen's robes. From the looks on their faces, both Ron and Hermione had forgotten about the snake as well, though they had more of an excuse than Harry had had. Kanda gave a dark chuckle at their expressions.

Finally, they made it to the Hall, with Ron looking even angrier than before, and found a place at the Gryffindor table next to Nearly Headless Nick. It was then that Harry realised that the ghosts tended to stay away from Allen and Kanda when there were others around, the only time he remembered hearing the Ghosts talk to them was that day last year after Professor Trelawney had given them the two Prophecies.

After Colin had come and gone Kanda spoke, probably for the first time without Allen saying something first that the trio could remember.

'Annoying. You're good for something, Harry, you distract him so he doesn't talk to us.'

The trio stared at the Japanese boy before deciding to ignore his comment and started talking about families and pattern's (or lack thereof) when it came to sorting them. They then just sat back and looked over the teachers table and watched the ceiling change, with the only comments coming from Hermione about the lack of a Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, and from Ron about wanting food. After Ron's comment Harry looked at the duo and thought about the amount Allen had eaten on the train. He didn't think the boy could possibly be hungry but, then again, he had also seen how much the boy could eat during the World Cup.

Finally, the first years arrived, and the sorting began. Allen and Kanda looked amused for some reason at the Sorting Hat's song, but the trio didn't think too much on it, they were too busy discussing how boring it would have to be staying as a hat. No one noticed that, after the first years were sorted, when Professor McGonagall moved the stool and hat she didn't move them very far away, if fact she left them at the end of the teachers table.

And with Dumbledore's words of "tuck in" the feast began.

Nearly Headless Nick watched as Hermione, Ron, Harry and Allen started loading their plates and Kanda found his normal dish. They all started eating in the way they always did, and eventually the topic of house-elves came up. No one noticed the look in Allen's eyes at Hermione's actions, no one but Kanda.

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Kanda watched his Moyashi, saw the glint and danger in his expression, and fought the urge to sigh. Allen felt strongly about house elves; stronger, probably, than Hermione. It was understandable considering his history, considering his current circumstances. Kanda knew that if Hermione had started ranting there would have been a full-on fight in seconds, he was glad that what she had said had only vague hinted at her opinions.

Finally, desert was over, and Kanda watched as Dumbledore stood to give the start of year speech, though he knew this one would be a little different. Dumbledore started with the usual, boring, things, like the increase in items that were forbidden, and the places that were supposed to be out of bounds.

'We can finally attend Hogsmead officially, Moyashi.' Kanda muttered, apparently a bit too loud as they were overheard.

'What do you mean?' Hermione asked.

'We're third year's now, since we have a permission note we can attend Hogsmead visits with the rest of the students,' Allen said without looking.

'But what do you mean officially?' Allen turned to look at her.

'I thought Harry would have told you, we know about the tunnels and have been sneaking out every weekend since we first started school.' Kanda could see the recognition suddenly flare in her eyes. She had known, she had just forgotten.

'It is also my painful duty to inform you that the inter-house Quidditch Cup will not take place this year.' Dumbledore continued; causing outrage among their peers. Kanda himself felt rather cheated, he loved to watch their petty rivalry and underhand tricks go hand in hand with hard work and determination. He especially loved the interactions between Slytherin and Gryffindor, he wasn't particularly loyal to his house and their games were nearly always the dirtiest.

The Headmaster was just about to tell them about the event that had led to the cancelling of Quidditch when he was interrupted by the arrival of someone, someone who apparently knew how to make an entrance. This person was most likely the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, because that was the only person Kanda could think of who was missing.

As the more than likely Professor made his way over to the teachers table, Allen and Kanda shared a look. This person was fishy, their entrance couldn't have been more dramatic if it had been choreographed, he worked his movements well with the atmosphere created by the storm and even managed to make sure no one saw his face until he was at the teachers table, where it was finally illuminated by the lightening.

A face that Kanda was not happy to see; and neither was the Moyashi. Both boys started swearing quietly, much to the surprise of the few students close enough to hear.

It wasn't the scars that had them cursing like sailors, they had seen worst. No, it was the _eye_ that had them using such language; the mechanical eye that looked as if it was spelled to see through disguises.

They were both screwed if that thing could see through enchantments like they suspected it could, the Moyashi most of all.

Sure enough, Professor Dumbledore introduced the man as their new teacher. The name Moody caused quite a stir amongst the students, Kanda felt he had a right to his exasperation when all Hermione could do was ask questions that others may consider personal. Like about his face.

He wondered if she had speculated in such a manner about the Moyashi that first day when they had been sorted, if she had lost sleep trying to figure out the strange scar that decorated _his_ face.

He wondered what she would say if she could see the rest that decorated both their bodies.

At last Dumbledore was able to introduce the event, the Triwizard Tournament.

After the Weasley twins' exclamation, and Dumbledore's moment of humour, the Headmaster then continued to explain the Tournament in all its glory. Allen and Kanda already knew all about the Tournament, so they took his advice and let their minds wonder.

At least until the announcement of some changes to the rules, then they got a bit of a nasty surprise.

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Hermione was listening with rapped attention as Dumbledore explained the tournament, especially after he mentioned the "death toll" so casually. However, what he was currently explaining was starting to put her mind at ease again.

'Eager though I know all of you will be to bring the Triwizard cup to Hogwarts,' he was saying, 'the heads of the participating schools, along with the Ministry of Magic, have agreed to impose some regulations and precautions. This will include an age restriction,' which he then explained much to the outrage of many students, 'and the introductions of guards that will help oversee the tasks in order to help prevent casualties should something go amiss.' Hermione noticed, vaguely, that Allen and Kanda had shared a look of surprise at this information.

'These guards shall be joining our school as students until the delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang arrive in October. All our guests will be remaining with us until the end of the year and I hope you will all extend every courtesy to them, and give your whole-hearted support to the Hogwarts champion whoever they may be when they are selected. For now, I will introduce our guards and have them sorted into the Houses they shall be a part of for the coming year. They shall also be attending fourth year classes as they are hired from a different organisation and would like time to learn about our culture before they begin their work.'

With that the whole school watched with baited breath as the Hat and stool were once again placed in the centre of the stage. The teachers' door where Hagrid had entered from creaked open and three people calmly walked through, none of them looked like "guards" to Hermione, they were far too casual, but she supposed she didn't know enough to judge.

Then Allen and Kanda did something strange, even for them. When the guards had started coming in both had gone incredibly pale and started shaking. Once the guards were in full view Allen just about fell out of his chair he stood so quickly.

'N-no,' he gasped before he fled from the room with Kanda close behind and the whole school staring after them.

After a short silence, Dumbledore cleared his throat and brought everyone's attention back to their guests.

'May I introduce to you: Lenalee lee, Lavi Bookman, and Miranda Lotto.'

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Lavi was the first one to be made to wear the hat in order to find out where he would be sleeping that night, but he didn't pay it much attention. No, his mind was somewhere else entirely, running out of the room after a white-haired child that had looked scarily familiar.

He was only brought back to the present by the sound of a strange voice echoing in his ear.

'Well, well, what do we have here? You have such a cleaver mind, an excellent memory, and you are willing to do just about anything in order to further your own ambition. And yet, this not all you are, despite your need to know everything, you also care deeply for those you are close to, you are willing to throw away your own comfort if it means that that this world may continue to spin.'

'Oh, and who might you be?' Lavi wondered, surprisingly not all that bothered by the voice listing off all his faults and values. He had survived Road, after all, messing around with his head.

'I am the Sorting Hat, it's my job to look though the minds of all the students that attend Hogwarts and see which House they are better suited to.'

'So, you know all about the two students that just ran from the room? Who are they?' Lavi asked eagerly.

'While I do know them, I am unable to discuss a sorting with anyone other than the person who was being sorted. Now if you will excuse me I think you best go to …'

After Lavi had wondered off to join his appointed table it was Miranda's turn to be sorted.

'My, My, aren't you a tough one?' Miranda Jumped at the voice in her ear, ignoring the smarting of Laughter at her surprise. 'Yes, strong loyalty, not scared to work hard and keep trying despite failure, plenty of courage, you'll stand up no matter how scared you are to keep fighting for those you care about and what you think is right.'

'Um, thank you?' she wasn't entirely sure what to think about the hat on her head that seemed rather keen to give her plenty of compliments. He rather reminded her of Allen, the way he seemed to bring out the best in her.

But she wasn't thinking about him, no matter may much current events seemed determined to make her do so.

'Yes, yes, I think you best go join your friend in …'

Lenalee was the last to be sorted, and as such she had a vague idea of what to expect, despite her preoccupation with other things.

Though not really, because she was expecting it to take a while, not for the hat to scream out a house before it had even really touched her head.

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'And now, it is late, and I know how important it is to you all to be alert and rested as you enter your lessons tomorrow morning. Bedtime! Chop chop!' Dumbledore said after all three of the Guards had been sorted into Gryffindor.

Lenalee, Lavi and Miranda waited with the Trio and the twins as they sat at the table and ranted at the age restriction before they followed out the door as they headed to the dormitories. They all followed quietly, looking lost in thought as the others continued to debate how they could enter the Tournament. The group of Hogwarts students only noticed the tag-a-longs when Lavi lifted Nevil out of the trick step with one hand.

'Er – thanks,' Nevil muttered to his saviour.

Lavi, who could have fitted in with the Weasley's with his red hair the others noticed, just gave a grin and shrugged.

'If you hadn't fallen in we would have. Miranda probably still will at some stage,' Lavi said. Miranda blushed and started mumbling apologies. Lavi then turned to Hermione and took her hand before kissing it, he was probably about to start saying something cheesy but the youngest of the two women chose that moment to kick him on the back of the head.

'Please excuse Lavi; he's a bit of an idiot. You probably already know but my name is Lenalee, that was Lavi, and this is Miranda,' Lenalee said as she put an arm around the older woman. Lenalee was smiling and Ron was looking mildly blinded. Harry noticed she appeared to be expecting something and it suddenly occurred to him what it probably was.

'I'm Harry, Harry Potter,' no reaction, 'this is Hermione Granger, Ron, Fred, and George Weasley, and that's Nevil Longbottom.' Harry introduced his friends.

'It's nice to meet you,' Lenalee said. 'Sorry for following you, it's just you were at the table and we don't know where we're supposed to go,' she explained. Hermione suddenly looked horrified.

'Oh, I'm sorry! We should have offered to show you to the dormitories, since you're in our house for the year.'

And with that the group travelled to the Gryffindor common rooms with Hermione explaining the various things they passed on the way there. It surprised the Gryffindor's that they hadn't noticed the other trio before considering how often Miranda tripped.

Once they were in the common rooms, Lavi asked a question just before they went to bed.

'So, who were the two that were sitting next to you before, the two that ran out of the Hall just after we walked in to be sorted?' he said it so calmly, but Harry thought he saw something in his eyes that contradicted his tone.

'That was a couple of third-years from our house who are a bit strange, don't worry about it mate,' Ron said.

'They looked a little familiar,' Lenalee commented. 'What are their names?'

'Allen Walker and Yuu Kanda,' Ron called as he went up the stairs to his dormitory, leaving three very surprised people in his wake.

There was an extra bed in Harry, Ron and Nevil's dormitory, and they realised that Lavi would be staying in their room, as he was to be attending as a fourth year, but decided not to wait up for him as it looked like he would be talking to his friends for a while yet.

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When Dumbledore finally made it back to his office he found two very irritated third years standing behind his desk.

'Time travel, you seriously used time travel to bring Exorcists from the past here as guards? What the hell was wrong with someone from this century?' Allen spat out.

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	17. D Gray man part 1

**The beginning of the reveal (of Allen and Kanda's past)**

 **Note: I start writing this story a while ago and was planning it long before that. This chapter takes place after 227, and events after that will probably not be taken into account, and possible spoilers for anything before.**

 **ALSO: I am going back to weekly updates after this chapter, sorry, they should be updated around Friday/Saturday.**

The house was old and creaky and, despite being lived in by several very energetic people, dusty to Allen's touch.

But maybe that was just him.

The memories pressed at his mind, catching him up and sweeping him away in a tied that he had long ago given up fighting. The others didn't know, hadn't guessed at just how tired and worn he was as the line between _him_ and someone else was slowly erased. It was the little things and the big things, while they were still separate people, more and more he seemed to forget his own life as he remembered fragments that didn't belong to him.

Maybe it wouldn't have been so bad, if it was just _Neah_ that was slowly eating away at him. The problem was that the more of him that was chipped away the more pieces that rose to the surface to take their place, and some of them were _his_ , they didn't carry the foreignness of Neah, but it wasn't actually physically possible for them to have been Allen's.

The person in the mirror shouldn't be years older, those around him decades younger. A world from forty years ago preserved in his head, but this world didn't belong to either of the two people that currently occupied it, and that's what was killing him faster than any Noah or innocence ever could.

Katerina D. Campbell was still alive it turned out, and an Angle sent to earth if ever there was one. There had been no hesitation when she had offered their motley group food and a bed for as long as they needed, and a promise of Answers in the morning when they weren't all dead on their feet from months on the run and a week of the Black Order constantly at their heels.

Answers were more than anyone else had ever offered him, and he didn't have the heart to tell them that he doesn't think that he will even last long enough to be able to hear them.

He was tired, oh so tired, and despite what Cross said (untrustworthy, womanising, bastard) the glimpses he had seen of Neah's memories did not install the need to fight his impending doom. He knew if he gave up, surrendered to the pounding headache of too many memories shoved into a brain only meant for one he would dissipate in minutes. It was just hard to remember that you have to fight when the pressure behind your eyes made it hard to think.

He had been a mess the last week, ever since he had found out that Tim had been destroyed. Despite his multiple escape attempts, he knew that he never would have made it out of that town, and especially to the D. Campbell Mansion, without his annoying tagalongs.

He hadn't wanted to accept Kanda's help, didn't want to drag Jonny down with him, couldn't stand the idea of getting General Tiedoll into trouble. As such, despite the fact that the only thing he could trust to stand by him was now dust in a jar, he had tried to refuse them and escape the town on his own.

It hadn't gone the way he intended, not at all.

Rather than being allowed to refuse politely and make a run for it, he had instead been caught up in the general chaos that he had long ago learned to associate with the Black Order, despite the fact that he had left said Order three months ago. The disorientation from being kicked to the back of his own mind and then being rather suddenly shoved back into the driver's seat had not help any when it came time to try and escape.

They had, in the end, gotten out of the town with only a few minutes before the deadline of the arriving exorcists, and a week later Allen still wasn't sure _how._ He also didn't know how their little group managed to remain intact during the chaos, despite his best efforts to lose them.

Allen was stubborn, something he was very much aware of but that others tended to forget or lose sight of when he employed his Mask of Mana. As such, only Kanda wasn't surprised when two days later Allen was still trying to pull off escape attempts, usually to be foiled by General Tiedoll who had decided to stick around and help Kanda with the mess that they had all found themselves in. Kanda had been surprised, however, when it only took those two days for him to give up and accept their company and help in trying to locate and get to the D. Campbell mansion.

Because even then he was getting sick and tired of the circles he had found himself running. He was tired of fighting the need to sleep because he couldn't be sure who was going to wake in his body the next morning. He was tired of trying to run away from the very thing that he _needed_ in order to regain the use of his own limbs should the worst happen and Neah take over. He was exhausted from wasting his energy trying to hide from people who seemed to legitimately consider him their friend, when he didn't have enough to spare, nor the time he would lose while getting lost without someone else to help him find the way.

And at least he could trust Kanda to put an end to him if he woke up as Neah and became a threat, though the man had also proved that he would at least try to get him back before doing so.

Allen was brought out of his reminiscing by a sharp spike across his forehead and the feeling of blood on his fingers as he pressed them against it in an attempt to stifle the pain. He found himself grimacing and wondering just when he had ended up on the floor and using the wall to remain at least partly upright while trying to muffle any sounds that might alert the other in the house to his predicament. It seemed that Leverrier and his so called "dog" as Kanda called him would get their wish.

Oh yes, Link was also wondering around the twisting corridors somewhere, the day that Allen had given in and accepted that he couldn't get rid of the three people who insisted on following him was also the day that Kanda had told them about the fourth person stalking their footsteps.

And God, Allen hadn't known what to think about that, still didn't if he was honest. Allen liked Link, several months of forced association meant that the two had managed to bond at some stage during their rather unconventional relationship. He was happy, and oh so _relieved_ , that the man was still alive, that during that frantic mess of an escape in the Black Order's cells he hadn't managed to get another person killed.

But the same reasoning that had made him happy that Link was alive seemed to kill him inside a little bit every time he looked at "Leverrier's Dog" out of the corner of his eye. They had gotten along, had become friends and he had started to _trust_ the man behind the uniform he put on for the Order. Finding out that Link was on the side of the Fourteenth, that on the orders of another he was willing to aid in his destruction was tearing him up inside, just one more person using him for their own gain, it was ripping him apart almost as effectively as Neah trying to take over his head.

 _Because that's the only reason that anyone would ever put up with me_ , he thought as the pain started to fade and the dizziness set it, _to further a goal for which I have to die._

But even knowing that, a small part of him didn't want to disappear. Selfish, stubborn, evil if that's what it made him, he didn't want to _die_ , he refused to allow himself to be _erased_. Even if he was tired, oh so god damn tired, and it would be just so _easy_ to give in and fade to nothing in a wheat field. Even if he felt himself lose a little a more every time Link refused to talk to him after Tiedoll convinced their stalker that he would get a better view if he travelled with them rather than behind. Maybe he couldn't fight, but that didn't mean he would just get up and move out of the way either.

And sometimes, just sometimes, he could fool himself into thinking that Kanda, Jonny and probably Crown Clown really did care about him, and that fragile bit of self-delusion was enough to make him try and pick himself up again. A small spark that wouldn't let him give up entirely no matter how much he wanted to.

Even knowing that it would probably be luck if he made it to the next sunrise, and not even that would help him last long enough for the breakfast and answers after.

Allen gritted his teeth as, for the few breathless seconds of calm before the storm, the pain and dizziness of his transformation receded entirely. He knew better than to hope, though, that it would stay that way.

Like a wave they crashed back over him, thankfully not even giving him time to scream before he was washed away into a fragment of something that's not _him_ as it replaces what he was.

Except it was not the same, not the same at all, and a small part of him whispered that was it because it was finally the end.

Normally, after he passed out the he was swept up into a memory that he doesn't own, and the pain went away to be replaced by whatever emotion was being experienced in the dream that was eating away at him to allow space for itself. Neah would wake in his place, and get away with it until Kanda came along and threatened the bastard until he retreated, and then Allen woke dizzy and confused and missing memories that he's not even sure belonged to him in the first place. It'd happened a few times on the road this last week, and everyone would walk on egg shells around him for a few hours while he fought the urge to ask if he _did_ anything in the time between when Neah woke up and Kanda did something to make him go away.

This time, this time the pain went with him. It built and built, a pressure against his skull and it felt like something was being swept _into_ him from some corner of his brain he hadn't know he had.

These weren't memories, this was _knowledge_. Something in him broke under the onslaught, and for the first time in probably a decade he had an idea of who Allen Walker might actually be.

The pain was blinding, but Allen still somehow found himself getting to his feet and shuffling down the corridor. And it didn't matter that he couldn't see, because suddenly he _knew_ where he was going. He knew this place, and it was _him_ that knew it, it wasn't something stolen from Neah, it was knowledge that had always belonged to him.

A breathless laugh escaped him as he made it to the room he was looking for, before stumbling to the desk in order to search for something. He was a street rat that had lived with a pour clown, before ending up with a womanising drunk, until he eventually made his way into an Organisation that only cared if he could kill Akuma or collect innocence. What did it matter, during any of that, if he could barely read? It was almost expected for those that knew how he grew up.

 _No,_ Allen thought as he finally found the glasses and slipped them on, bringing the world into focus for the first time in his life, _there really wasn't a reason for any of them to think to check his eyes._

It wasn't like Allen knew what the world was meant to look like, if a fuzzy blur was all you could see then you assumed that was what it was supposed to look like. It wasn't until he _knew_ what it was like to see the world with the aid of lenses that he had realised that something was missing.

He gave the room around him another look now that he could actually see, and knew what he was looking for, and gave another breathless chuckle as he took in that it was untouched and undisturbed.

'God bless you, Katerina, you saint of a woman,' Allen muttered, only she would corner off a perfectly good room for science for forty years in the hopes of a person who should be _dead,_ one way or another, returning. But because it was Katerina the room _had_ been blocked off, and that meant that it still held everything he needed in order to pull off his latest stunt.

And at last he could get to work, face screwed up in concentration and wincing in pain as he shuffled around and _tried_ not to knock anything over during a moment of inattention, though there were a few missed calls.

Finally, he had correctly measured out the last ingredient he needed for the first formula of the night, and no time was wasted in knocking it back like water.

A shudder ran though his body and his headache is _gone_. For the first time in months, maybe even years, the pain in his body subsided as both the dark matter and in the innocence in his body _settled_ and stopped trying to destroy each other. The information was still there, it always was and always would be, but no longer were the memories trying to scrape him away and out of his own head, the process was stalled, and this time he could _control_ just how it progressed.

Allen smiled, or was it smirked, and got back to work because he had a _very_ long night ahead of him. Now when he nearly knocked something over it was from haste rather than distraction caused by the pain in his head. The room was silent except for the rustling of paper, sloshing of liquids in glass, and occasional chuckle as Allen found something in his notes that amused him, though he thanked God again for the creation of spectacles because he wouldn't have had a hope of reading his own handwriting otherwise.

Throughout the night Allen took a sip or knocked back a glass of the various things that he'd made, how the science division would envy him if they could see him now.

And that is how they found him the next morning, leaning back in his chair and adjusting the glasses on his nose as his eyes frantically raced through the lines of text contained in a battered note book. Needless to say, the odd group of travelling companions was rather surprised to see him like that, their host couldn't quite claim the same.

'I see you found your way back to your work room, I take it you no longer need to me to answer your questions?' Katerina asked.

'Some things are still fuzzy, so I might need to ask for clarification on some of the messier occurrences, but I should be fine for now,' the white-haired man replied.

Kanda felt his hand tighten on his Katana, but for some reason he couldn't draw it. He would attack Neah without hesitation, but …

'You are … not Neah?' Link spoke up, breaking the silence that had fallen as their fifth traveling companion returned to his reading, something he seemed annoyed to be dragged away from once again.

'Nope.'

'Then, who are you?' poor Jonny couldn't keep the confusion for from his voice.

And the man smiled, 'Allen Walker, just as I have always been. Though, Allen Walker apparently suffers from sever amnesia and a parasitic innocence that refuses to let time and nature take its course, but that's not important right now.' Suddenly, the man was sitting up properly and staring right straight at Link. 'You have it, don't you, Atuuda?'

 **AN: as stated above, this chapter is the first that deals directly with what happened to Allen and Kanda during the war and a little bit after, and it is obviously not going to be the last. These chapters will be spread out through the rest of the story depending on where I think they fit, and the events that are happening during the main plot. While maybe not directly related, they will offer insights into what I am doing to the rest of the story so I hope you enjoy them.**

 **By the way, these events were hard to write, and this is the third version of it, and it is longer than it was going to be.**


	18. Goblet of Fire part 8

**AN: and picking back up from where we left off in main story**

 _Previously: 'Time travel, you seriously used time travel to bring Exorcists from the past here as guards? What the hell was wrong with someone from this century?' Allen spat out._

Dumbledore stared at the two boys sitting across from him. He felt like he was in a dream, a rather unpleasant one that he would rather like to wake up from, now.

When the two boys had first started ranting at him and trying to explain exactly why summoning the Exorcists to the school had been a bad idea, the portraits had thrown quite an impressive tantrum, even those that were rumoured to contain the Four Founders. Many had been vocal about their annoyance at the fact that their little "Game" had been ruined. Kanda, however, had a rather convincing argument to shut them up.

'If you had stopped him from bringing them here in the first place we wouldn't have to, it's your own fault, so don't complain to us!' he had shouted at them, effectively silencing them so he and Allen could continue to tell their story.

Now Dumbledore was experiencing no small amount of shock at the information he had just received, information the portraits had confirmed once they had gotten over their irritation. Of all the things he had expected to come out of his messing with time in order to summon people from the past to keep his students safe, this was not one of them.

'You, Mr Walker, are over seven thousand years old?' he asked again, the boy who appeared to be no more than thirteen nodded calmly. 'And you, Mr Kanda, are also older than you appear, though not as old as Mr Walker?' Again, a person who didn't look any older than the first nodded a confirmation of the question.

'And both of you knew our guests from when you were younger? You were both present in their original time?' this was the bit that got him, because while someone could lie about how old they were, he knew from exactly _which_ decade the three Exorcists had been summoned, so if they proved to truly know each other than the boys had to be telling the truth, or at least some of it.

'Unfortunately,' Allen muttered, 'which puts us in a small bit of trouble, the amount of which changes depending on exactly when and where they came from.'

'Because you do not know what events you may change by telling them things?' Dumbledore asked, it was the common problem with crossing timelines, one he had thought could be avoided due to how distanced the two times and cultures were.

'No, because they might get very large shock and provide a rather unfortunate reaction if the last thing they remember before coming here was just after they had just seen us die for the first time,or something worst.' Dumbledore was starting to feel a little light headed at this point, people should not reference something like that in that tone of voice or with the use of plurals. Allen groaned as he seemed to think about all things wrong with the situation. 'We're entirely screwed.' The boy almost growled and threw his head into his hands.

'Could you possibly tell me what, exactly, is likely to cause trouble between you and our guests? Speaking aloud may help to think through the problem, and I may be able to offer an alternate view of the situation or a possible solution,' Dumbledore offered, since this was apparently his fault to begin with. Allen looked at him for a moment before he started talking.

'The first, and largest, problem is that we're not the right age, I was at least three years older than this when we first met them, and there was several years difference between me and Kanda at the time.' Dumbledore tried to wrap his head around that, but realised he couldn't, and probably shouldn't try. 'This is the main problem because it leads to smaller issues when trying to cover up the situation, like how all the scars we obtained over the years still remain and are rather obviously visible. Those three know how and when we got most of them, so trying to claim we're just younger versions of the ones they knew, so from before we met, won't work. Also, because Kanda has known Lenalee from when he first appeared to be about this age,' Allen explained.

'It's also annoying because those people are loud, and we were trying to stay in hiding, again,' Kanda muttered.

'It does tend to draw attention when you appear to know three people who are from the past, yes. And attention is something we have to avoid because when you are going to stick around for so long it is generally best not to stick out. Things tend to go wrong when people realise you're not aging, or that you have attended school before, more than a hundred years ago.' Allen expanded.

'And as I mentioned before, depending on when, exactly, they are from it is possible that they will think that we're supposed to be dead, or as I said, worst. If we're incredibly lucky then they might have arrived from just after the first time we went into hiding, that would also have problems, but not as many as just about any other time after that will cause.'

'If they're from the time when we had been captured just after and the incident following said capture then this is going to be awkward. If they're from just before _that_ time, then they will probably destroy the school trying to get to us.' Kanda told him, then added, 'Or they could be from before all that in which case they're going to wonder why we're not back in headquarters.'

Dumbledore sat in silence for a short while before speaking.

'Well, between you two, the old headmasters, maybe some ghosts and I, I'm sure we can come up with some explanation to limit the damage. Though I must ask, why do you not fear changing the past?'

'Because we have tried to change that particular past before and it doesn't work. Besides, if things look like they are going to get drastically out of hand we can always remove their memories of us, or worst comes to worst, change it back to how it originally went.' Allen stated those possibilities so simply it was scary.

In the end Dumbledore called in some of the ghosts and they spent the rest of the night discussing strategies and stories that could work to limit the damage the situation might cause to both history and the present.

Some of the ideas they came up with included: claiming that Allen and Kanda where the reincarnations of the people they knew, this was rejected because all of there scars were the same and that wouldn't happen during reincarnation alone. Claiming they were their descendants, this was rejected for the same reason as the previous idea, and because neither had children or were likely to have children during the Exorcists life time. Claiming to be their younger selves that had somehow gotten caught up in all the time travel and ended up hear by pure coincidence, this was rejected because it was deemed too unlikely, and because Kanda knew them at this age, so the other three could refute it. Claiming they amnesia so they didn't have to think about it, this was rejected because neither thought they could keep it up for a full year, and it would interfere with other plans (that Dumbledore was very curious about and rather disappointed to be excluded from). And finally, claiming a mix up somewhere in Headquarters, but that would only work if they had come from very early on after Allen had met them, and was finally rejected because it would require knowing the exact date from when they had been sent from, and while Dumbledore knew the decade he wasn't specific enough.

Eventually they decided that the best course of action was the simplest, let them make their own assumptions and, if they ended up asking, to just tell them the truth.

It was early the next morning when the two boys finally left, heading straight to breakfast as they had been talking for a long time, and when Dumbledore was finally given some space to himself to think through all things he had just been told. At long last he was away from the people he needed to have a rather in-depth discussion with the portraits and ghosts about, however, that would need to wait for another time. He was not as young as he once was and staying up all night like that had taken it's toll. While he knew that he should head to breakfast with the boys, he thought that a nice nap would be in order.

After several glasses of brandy that is.

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The next morning the Idiotic Trio and the Trio of Exorcists all arrived at the great hall together to find Allen and Kanda already seated and eating.

Suddenly, Lavi was no longer at their side, but standing beside Kanda with his hands on the Japanese boy's face; forcing him to turn his head this way and that while the redhead smooshed his face together, as if he were trying to peel away an illusion.

'Get your hands off me, Baka Usagi!' Kanda eventually shouted as he hit the offending appendages away from him.

Lavi burst into happy tears with a giant smile on his face. 'It is you, it really is Yuu-chan!' further celebrations were cut short by the appearance of a wand suddenly sticking into the "Baka Usagi's" neck. Allen gave a short chuckle, bringing attention to himself.

'A warning, Lavi, Kanda can do more damage to you with that stick than he ever could have with Mugden, despite appearances,' the white-haired boy cheerfully informed them.

Lavi once again looked like he could possibly to die from the happiness he was feeling. 'Moyash–' Lavi didn't get any further than that before there was a flash, a crunching sound, and Lavi flew backwards clutching his nose.

'Sorry, Lavi, but don't call me that,' Allen said with a smile as he pulled back his fist from where it had connected with the red-head's face.

Everyone in the Hall had been watching the exchange between the three of them, not paying attention to anything else, and so they were all surprised when the one who had been introduced as Miranda the previous night (who looked like she was older than twenty) suddenly burst into tears as well and threw her arms around Allen's neck as she tackled him to the ground.

'Allen-Kun!' she wailed before shouting apologies, still pinning the boy down.

'Miranda, can't breathe.' The boy muttered. The woman wailed louder and continued to sprout more apologies, but didn't get up. Allen looked over her shoulder for help, and that was when he saw Lenalee.

Lenalee was just standing there with tears pouring down her face, she wasn't smiling and wasn't glaring, just standing in shocked silence as she continued to cry. Eventually the spell that had been holding her up broke and she collapsed to the floor, holding a hand to her mouth before she started muttering something.

'Idiots, you hopeless idiots,' She said over and over again, so quietly that only those with excellent hearing or who were standing right next to her could make out the words.

Kanda and Allen looked at each other in confusion and wondered just when these three had come from in order to react like that.

Everyone else in Hogwarts just looked at the events unfolding before them and wondered what on earth was going on, and if the two Gryffindor third-years could possibly get any weirder considering there was still a rumour floating round in select circles that Allen collected Bogarts.

Finally, the teachers arrived and helped the crying girls to their feet, started to lead Lavi to the hospital wing so that Madam Pomfrey could fix his nose, and got Allen back into the seat he had been knocked out of early on in the chaos. Once four of the people involved in the commotion had settled down the Trio joined them. Soon their timetables were handed out and they could finally start eating. The rest of the Hall eventually managed to calm down and start their own conversations, but all of them continued to sneak glances at the two female guards and the two boys they had been so pleased to see.

'Today's not bad … outside all morning,' Ron started, trying to discuss their timetable in order to break the silence created by the two still sobbing, and slightly touchy, females, 'Herbology with the Hufflepuffs and Care of Magical Creatures ... Damn it, we're still with the Slytherins …' Allen was frowning as he listened to Ron while inspecting his own time table.

'Double divination this afternoon,' Harry said and Kanda started frowning as well.

'Harry, can I have your timetable please?' Allen asked, he seemed distracted as he glanced at what Harry had given him while Hermione and Ron started talking about elves again.

Allen's cursing could be heard above the sound of the Owl Post as he handed the offending bit of paper back. He then asked for, and received, Lenalee's timetable as various people got letters and treats from guardians. Harry was excited and pleased when he got a letter from Sirius to tell him that Dudley and Creature had both been crying when the large boy had eventually left to attend his own school.

The Idiot trio were halfway to Greenhouse Three when they realised that they were being followed. Harry turned around to see a sheepish Lavi, who had had his nose fixed in record time, standing next to Lenalee, Miranda and, of all people, Allen and Kanda. The three guards were all looking slightly sheepish, but Allen and Kanda just looked resigned.

'Don't you lot have to get to class?' Ron asked, rather rudely. Lavi's sheepish look increased as he rubbed the back of his head.

'We're in your class, according to the Headmaster and our timetables. We were following you because we don't know how else to find our way to the correct area. What's Herbology by the way? Or Divination?'

Harry looked at the red head; it had suddenly occurred to him that when Dumbledore had said an outside organisation, he hadn't meant a Magical one. When the headmaster had said they needed to adapt to their culture he hadn't meant to England, he had meant to the wizarding world.

It looked like Hermione had come to the same conclusion as he had. Ron, however, was focused on something else.

'Yeah, I know you lot are in our class, but those two are in the year below us. Aren't you meant to be in class with Ginny? You're going to be late if you don't leave soon.' Allen looked rather unhappy and Kanda looked almost as if he was sulking.

'Not any more, we're not,' Allen mumbled. 'According to our timetable this is the class we're meant to be in,' he continued, handing the document over so Hermione could nod her confirmation at what he had said.

Lavi started smiling again. 'You mean we're in the same class, Moyashi-ch –' once again Lavi couldn't finish his sentence because Allen had broken his nose.

Harry idly wondered if the boy ever learnt as Lenalee supported the boy on his way to the nurse's office, for the second time in as many hours.

He also wondered how Allen could be strong enough to break the nose of a person who looked at least five years older than him, if not more.

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	19. Goblet of Fire part 9

In Allen's opinion Herbology had been interesting; however, everyone else thought it had been disastrous.

When Allen and Kanda had walked into the greenhouse Professor Sprout had taken one look at them, nodded to herself, and turned away. It seemed that whoever had organised there changed in year group had bothered to at least notify the teachers.

The students were not so accepting of the new addition to their class.

Many had made comments about how they should be a little too old to still be getting lost; one or two asked if this was a joke being played on them by an older student. None of the fourth-years would stop yammering on until Professor Sprout had ordered them to be silent so she could teach the class.

Allen couldn't help noticing that the trio didn't once acknowledge their presence, Ron seemed particularly determined to pretend they didn't exist.

The other thing that had made the class interesting was Miranda. She had walked into the class room, listened to the teacher, and then moved to stand quietly in a corner far away from where she was likely to cause trouble. Professor Sprout had seen her and ordered her to join a group; a decision she soon came to regret. Miranda had improved greatly when it came to self-confidence compared to how bad she had been when Allen first met her; but after being thrown into the deep end in an unknown school she was terrified and nervous, meaning she was clumsy.

The first group she was put with didn't make things easy, constantly asking questions and distracting her from her task caused quite a few incidents, and soon everyone in that group was glad they had their gloves on. One of the students ended up yelling at her, and Miranda dissolved into a huddled form of depression.

Allen could hear many people starting to whisper about how a person like that couldn't possibly be of any use as a guard. He felt rather annoyed at them for judging Miranda based on nothing but the events of that class, especially when none of them had even spoken to her for more than five minutes or had a chance to see her use her innocence.

No matter what had happened in his past, what tragedies had shaken his world to its core, Miranda had always been his friend.

Gently, he took her hand and led her to his group with Kanda and out of the dark cloud that was threatening to swallow her whole. With patience and calm words, he showed her what to do, and eventually she got the hang of it and was able to collect a bottle full of the pus under his directions with only minimal accidents.

And if one or two boys from her old group ended up with the pus on their skin, well, that had nothing to do with him.

Lavi and Lenalee returned from the hospital wing just after the bell had rung to signal that it was time to head to Care of Magical Creatures.

Their group walked over and stood stood with the Idiotic Trio while they listened to Hagrid Explain that they would be raising what he called Blast-Ended Shrewts. The Gryffindor's had gotten over their surprise at having two third-years in their class by now, so no one commented beyond a few irritated looks, until the Slytherins arrived that is.

'And why would we _want_ to raise them?' The cold voice of Malfoy heralded the arrival of the Slytherins.

'I mean, what do they do? What is the point of them?' he continued.

'I would have thought that at your age you would know better than to question your teachers.' Lenalee said from her position next to the trio, though she was looking at the crates with a look that said that she didn't think much of putting her hand in there.

Unfortunately, her words brought Malfoy's attention to their group. The blond got a spark in his eye when he noticed the two third-years stand amongst them.

'Now what are two third-years doing here? Shouldn't you be in your own class? Why, I think the teacher should deduct points for this misbehaviour, don't you?' he said the last sentence louder than necessary in order to attract the Hagrid's attention.

'What's going on here?' Hagrid asked as he wondered over, the trio sneakily went to join the rest of the class in attempting to feed the monstrosities. Allen wondered why those three insisted on investigating them but never stuck around of the interesting stuff.

Malfoy looked at the half giant with an innocent face; or as innocent as he could manage.

'Sir, I was wondering why two third years were here when this was meant to be a fourth-year class. Shouldn't they get to their own lesson, and be punished for such actions?'

Hagrid glanced at Allen and Kanda as they stood with the three Exorcists; and looked slightly confused.

'Everyone here is supposed to be, Malfoy. I don't see the problem.'

Malfoy looked very surprised, so did the rest of the class that had been sneakily listening in.

'But, sir, Malfoy is right; Allen and Kanda are third years.' Dean Thomas said, loath though he was to admit that the Slytherin was right.

Hagrid looked at the class.

'Walker and Kanda will be attending fourth year classes this year because Dumbledore and the heads of house decided so, and I don't want to hear no complaining. Now you should all get back to feeding the Blast-Ended Shrewts.' A very surprised class did just that.

Just after Hagrid had pointed out the stingers and suckers on their new "pets" and before Malfoy had a chance to comment Lavi screamed.

Everyone, Gryffindor, Slytherin, Guards and Hagrid turned to stare at the one-eyed boy as he jiggled and wriggled on the spot and pulled at his cloths, letting out continues shrieks and the occasional pained whimper before one of the Sherwts fell from where it had been put down the back of his shirt.

The class stared, Lavi gave another whimper before his booted foot came crashing down on the wriggling creature.

There was a hustle and bustle after that as the class wonder who in their right mind would put one of those things down someone else's back. Hagrid directed the students to go to lunch early while he dealt with the creatures and Lavi.

Allen held back slightly, keeping Kanda with him. Once he was sure no one was around he pulled the Japanese boy down so that he could whisper in his ear (three centimetres wasn't that much).

'Wasn't that over kill; putting one of those things inside his cloths?' Allen hissed. Kanda gave him a confused and innocent look.

'Don't know what you're talking about, Moyashi,' he said, avoiding Allen's glare.

Allen had seen Kanda's smirk just before Lavi had started squirming, he knew exactly who had been foolish enough as inflict one of those things on someone who was supposed to be a student. 'So, if I use _Prior Incantato_ on your wand, it won't be a levitation spell that was used on one of those things?' he hissed.

And then Kanda was smirking again, a smirk that was a mix between humour, satisfaction, and an age-old sadness that hadn't left since those three had showed up so unexpectedly the night before.

'At least now I can attempt to forgive the Baka, he's finally paid for what he did.'

And with that they went to lunch, completely ignoring those around them, even the other Exorcists.

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Lavi didn't leave the Hospital wing until Lunch was well and truly over, no one saw Allen or Kanda either but that wasn't anywhere near as fascinating as listening to the fourth years taking Care of Magical Creatures talking about the "guard's" unfortunate accident.

Lavi ran up to the divination Class room just as Harry and Ron arrived. He had been sprinting, but you wouldn't know it look at him, he didn't have a drop of sweat and wasn't even out of breath. Maybe there was something to him being a guard after all, they were all wearing Matching uniforms and at least two seemed to be in good shape. Even if Miranda was ridiculously clumsy, Ron supposed it was possible she had some hidden talent of some kind or another.

Lavi thought he did a very good job of keeping a straight face considering his current class room looked more like that bogus Gypsy Caravan he had stayed in once and less like a facility dedicated to teaching children. He had gathered that Divination was the study of divining the future and couldn't help comparing it to the Order's own prophetess. He suspected that Hevlasha would have been rather unimpressed with Professor Trelawney.

Harry also thought that Lavi was doing an excellent job of hiding the scepticism any one would feel when confronted with their divination teacher, especially someone that wasn't very familiar with the class in general.

They really did try to stay focussed on the lesson and the "movements of the planets", but they were sitting next to someone a lot more interesting than some complicated charts that were probably a load of rubbish. Someone that may have been able to help them decipher the mystery that was Allen Walker and Yuu Kanda, if the scene at breakfast was anything to go by.

'So,' Ron murmured once Trelawney was distracted by someone else, 'where are the rest of the Guards?'

Lavi gave an easy grin as he replied, 'Well, if we're trying to learn as much as possible in the limited time between now and when the rest of the participants arrive then we have a better chance of doing so if we split up, also a greater chance of getting more than one view of things. We split for electives in order to try and obtain that objective.'

Harry couldn't help wondering at the way "Lavi" spoke. His explanation was simple and sounded like something that might have been used in a war debriefing from an old movie.

'Wonder what class Allen and Kanda are in?' Ron changed the subject. 'I wonder if they're in fourth year classes for those as well? I mean, they might not be in this one, just because they didn't like Divination, rather than being in the year below. Wonder why they didn't chose it though, if they really did choose something else?'

Lavi gave a laugh that he had to disguise as a cough when the teacher looked at him. He waited for her to turn her back before lower his voice and explaining. 'Moyashi-chan doesn't like Prophecies, he thinks that if they don't concern him they aren't any use, and if they do then they only bring trouble.'

'And what's his basis for this?' Ron asked.

'Oh, someone said something weird about him a while ago; it got him a lot of unwanted attention and made his life really difficult.' Harry shuddered, he could identify with that, but it also made him wonder what the prophecy had been about, and _when_ it had been made considering that Allen was only thirteen years old.

'What was the prophecy about?' Ron asked eagerly.

Lavi blinked his uncovered eye with a smile and Harry realised it was meant to be a wink. 'If he hasn't told you then I don't intend to spill the beans: I have had my nose broken enough today, and somehow I don't think I'll get away with just that if I say something regarding that topic that I wasn't supposed to.'

Harry and Ron looked at each other. It certainly was true that Allen looked like he could get rather scary if he wanted to, especially considering that he _had_ broken Lavi's nose every time he had used that name with no other provocation.

Speaking of that name …

'What's that word that you keep calling him even mean? Kanda never calls him anything else, but he refuses to tell us what he's actually saying,' Ron grumbled.

This time there was no way to disguise Lavi's laughter as he practically fell from his chair. It took several minutes and much threatening with detention for him to finally settle down enough to answer. 'Beansprout,' he gasped, 'it's Japanese for beansprout.'

And now Harry and Ron were laughing right along with him.

It was soon after that that the class ended up with so much homework.

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Lenalee was in the same class as Hermione after Lunch, and so were Allen and Kanda. The lesson passed with all four of them desperately trying to concentrate on their work; Hermione because she was always serious without her friends to distract her and the other three because they had no prior knowledge of the subject, at least as far as the rest of the school was concerned.

Finally, the lesson was over and the four of them started to head to the Great Hall, they didn't get far, though, before Lenalee indicated that she would like to talk to Allen and Kanda. Alone.

'We'll be there in a minute, save us a seat!' she called cheerily to the retreating back before turning to her two companions.

'Now then, Allen-kun, Kanda-san,' her face was smiling but Allen felt like he was falling into a dark pit, 'would you care to explain to me what the two of you are doing here, and why you look like your several years younger than you really are?'

'Um, Lenalee? Would you mind not looking at us as if you're deciding where to hide the bodies?' Allen said in a slightly shaking voice.

'Oh, Allen-kun, as if I would be thinking about something like that,' for some reason her words did not put the two at ease. 'Now, an explanation if you please?'

The two looked at each other, and Lenalee felt something squirm in her chest. They were different, more so than just the physical change of age, there was something about the way they acted that was just so different from what she was used to that it scared her.

'Lenalee, you came here through time travel. I thought you would understand that, when you're not in your own time, you are bound to come across things that were going to be unexplainable.'

'Che, don't break the rules and start looking at us funny just because you don't know what's going on,' Kanda muttered.

Lenalee looked at them, they had a point, but she wasn't going to let it go that easily. She knew them too well to fall for their attempts at evasion, at least she used to. 'So then, tell me what's going on so that I know _why_ I should be looking at you both strangely.'

'Lenalee, we are not with the Order, I think you gathered that much, and as such we don't know when exactly you came from or what's been happening back there. We can't explain something to you when we don't even know what you need explaining.

'Please just let it go, it's been a while since we've seen each other, so can we just be happy for this abuse of magic that brought us this miracle, please?'

He was looking at her with those eyes; those wide, innocent, eyes that seemed to trap her heart in a chest and make her feel guilty even though she didn't know why. Maybe they were right, maybe they had come from a little later and she would understand once she got back to her own time why they were here, but for some reason she doubted it. She had come up with many reasons to try and explain things (them having returned to the order and getting caught in the science department's stuff ups, a malfunctioning innocence from some mission where they went missing and she couldn't remember) but none of them felt right. She couldn't quite get rid of the nagging feeling that something dark was running just beneath the surface and looking up at her through the gloom.

But for now, she would relent.

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	20. Goblet of Fire part 10

**Sorry this is a few days late, I have no excuse.**

 _Previously: She couldn't quite get rid of the nagging feeling that something dark was running just beneath the surface and looking up at her through the gloom._

 _But for now, she would relent._

'Fine, I suppose answers can wait. We have a whole year before we have to go back, no reason not to enjoy some time off before we get busy. We can have our discussion later, but we will have it.' She gave them a look similar to the kind of ones she gave her brother when he was being particularly unreasonable. They quavered slightly before following her on the way back to the hall (or started following her, she got lost and they ended up leading the way).

At dinner there were many other things to talk about while avoiding touchy subjects. Things like classes and the incident that Lavi had witnessed and the Trio had been a part of involving Malfoy. Harry thought that Allen and Kanda may have been looking a little disapproving at Lavi and Ron's obvious delight at Malfoys punishment; though he thought even they had to admit that, in this instance, he had deserved it.

It was soon after Hermione had left for the Library again, after the talk of Moody's competence as a teacher, that another conversation came up, one Harry and Ron had no possible way to predict.

'So,' Lavi said with a smile, 'What happened to you two that you can now be in the same room without trying to kill each other?'

Allen, Kanda, Ron and Harry all froze at the words.

'What?' Harry eventually managed say through his frozen lips. Allen and Kanda looked incredibly pale.

Lavi just laughed. 'Oh, come one, you mean to tell me that these two haven't tried to kill each other at least once in the time that you've known them? When we all used to hang out they couldn't even sit next to each other with an attempt at murder.'

'It's true,' Lenalee commented, 'I have never seen two people hate each other so fiercely so soon after meeting. We had to break up there first fight about … two minutes? … after they first met.'

Harry and Ron looked at each other, these two, who seemed to have a hard time keeping their hands off of each other when alone, had once not been able to stay in the same room because of hatred? It was a little unbelievable … Although …

'There was that time during the holidays when Allen threatened to cut Kanda's hair …' Harry hesitantly volunteered. 'And they're nearly always insulting each other, but they don't attack each other or anything.' But to Harry, those things had never seemed like something spurned by hatred, they felt like a disguise so that people didn't question too deeply the amount of time they spent together or fondness they seemed to feel. They hurled constant insults, but the words never seemed to carry much sting, rather, they always seemed to be saying something else entirely.

'That's all?' Lavi asked with a cheeky grin. 'Once upon a time it only took one word and we would have to call in about five people to break them up, or Lenalee with a clip board,' He said with an off-hand shrug.

As the conversation had gone on Allen and Kanda had gotten progressively paler, this was not a conversation that they seemed to like, and Harry was suddenly under the impression that these people were the reason they didn't want their relationship getting out.

Eventually the two left claiming they were tired, Lavi and Lenalee looked even more surprised that they left together as they headed off to bed. Miranda, who had been silently observing the conversation up until then, went racing after them so that she didn't get lost on her way to the dormitory, tripping on the way out the door.

When at last the original trio was back together in their room, Harry and Ron recounted the conversation they had heard. The next day they watched as Allen and Kanda seemed to be a little more distant from each other than normal, as if they were trying to create space between themselves in order to hide their relationship just that little bit better.

Harry couldn't help but feel sorry for them.

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Harry walked into his first potions lesson of the year with even more dread than normal, and that was saying something. It was no secret amongst the student body that Snape hated Harry, though not many people knew the reason why. Harry, however, did, after several discussions with Sirius and Lupin he had found out the truth of the events so many years ago. And since he knew what had had happened he suspected, now that he was living with the man who had given Snape so much grief, that he would get an even harder time of it.

He was quite shocked, and pleasantly surprised, to find out that that wasn't true.

The class had barely even entered the room when Malfoy started to try and make trouble for the Gryffindors, this time by pointing out the two latest editions and trying to find out, finally, the reason for the change of grade. His hand was waving in the air and Snape didn't hesitate to call on his favoured student.

'What is it, Malfoy?'

'Professor,' Harry had to stifle a groan at the wheedling voice, Lavi didn't seem to like it much either, 'I was just wondering, since no one else will tell us, why there are two third years in our class?' Malfoy waved his hand towards the direction the Gryffindor's were sitting, five new additions included. Snape turned to look at them, and Harry felt dread fill his heart.

'Oh yes, you two,' Snape had muttered in his quite voice, 'it is good to see you attending a class that is a little closer to your skill level.' The whole class seemed to gape in shock.

'Professor?' Malfoy queried at the surprisingly pleased look on Snape's face.

'Mr Walker and Mr Kanda displayed a skill level unheard of within second year students. Last year there was a mix up in the test and these two received the exams for the promotion into fourth year, they passed with flying colours. Due to these results we saw fit to put them into the grade they had been tested for.'

Harry looked at the duo and saw the chagrin on their faces; apparently no one had seen fit to inform them that the test they had taken was for the wrong year.

'So, all the teachers just "happened" to screw up the tests so that only we got the wrong ones?' Allen's normally polite voice was scathing, and Harry watched as the Slytherins snickered, expecting the reprimand that normally came when any student dared to talk back to the Potions master.

It never happened.

Snape's lips curled in something that Harry realised must have been a smile, he hardly recognised it without the sarcastic tilt that was normally present when it appeared on Snape's face.

'Yes, we just "happened" to all make the same mistake, funny how these things turn out.'

And with that the subject was over, Snape called out the names on his roll and started them all making their potions.

The lesson after that was so similar to their normal ones, yet at the same time so very different. Still Snape favoured the Slytherins, still he was horrifically unfair to Harry. But amongst the normal politics there was a small bubble that seemed outside this influence of a normal lesson. Allen, Kanda and the guards were completely ignored, despite Miranda's potion looking a lot like Nevil's when the lesson first started.

Harry watched out of the corner of his eye as Allen started coaching the much older student on how to correct the toxic looking substance that was simmering away inside the caldron. Soon the mixture was indistinguishable from Allen's, Kanda's or Hermione's.

Privately, Harry was impressed, though less so when Malfoy tried once again to get the two younger students into trouble.

'Professor,' Malfoy called with his hand once again in the air, 'Mr Walker is Helping Miss Lotto, I thought that wasn't allowed in this class?'

It was probably the first time Harry had ever seen Snape direct anything other than a smile at the Slytherin boy.

'Since we are talking about two students who are not normally required to do work of this level of difficulty I see no problem with it, just in their case. I would not tolerate it, for example, if students to whom which this should be easy were to begin indulging in the same practices, Miss Granger.' Hermione looked up from where she had been attempting to save Nevil from another melted cauldron. 'Two points from Gryffindor, how will the boy learn if he is not allowed to do his own work?'

Five minutes later the students were on their chairs trying to avoid the strange coloured sludge that was pouring form the dissolved bottom of Nevil's cauldron.

Harry could see Kanda's raised eye brow easily as Snape gave Nevil detention, the guards also looked very displeased at the treatment.

The shocks caused by the lesson had not quite finished yet, as the bell rang Snape called for Allen and Kanda to remain behind. The Trio and the guards all tried to wait at the door, but were threatened with more point deductions if they didn't get to their next class to explain why the two were late immediately.

Harry just hoped the two would be alright.

Once everyone else was out of ear shot Snape raised an eyebrow at the students before him, Kanda snorted, and Allen allowed a small smile to grace his lips.

'Well, that was enlightening,' the white hair boy said.

'I assume you found the class entertaining. I doubt there is any person within the school that can teach you anything you don't already know.' Snape wasn't sneering, but he certainly sounded a little put out.

Snape knew, he didn't know anything specific, but he knew enough to figure out that there was more to these two than met the eye.

He had been quite surprised to see them again, after so many years he had been more than a little disturbed to find out that they would be attending Hogwarts as first years. After all, people didn't normally get younger just because they desired to; if they did there would have been no point to the Dark Lord's attempts to find immortality.

No one knew, not even Dumbledore, that the reason he had gone to him with the news of Voldemort's actions so soon had been because he had been given a little nudge in the right direction by a white-haired teen. No one knew how close he was to joining Lily that night; that he would have if not for the same white-haired boy stopping him, telling him that there was hope, that the child lived, the there was a chance of redemption but only if he was willing to take the hard road.

He owed the boys before him much more than his life, something he was unlikely to forget. This was probably the reason he was so concerned about them despite the fact that he suspected they were older than him, and most certainly capable of looking after themselves.

'Why did you hold us back,' Kanda growled.

'To ask you something,' Snape replied, 'What do you know of the three guards that the head master has summoned? It is one of the few times I have been left in the dark about something.'

'Why ask us?' Allen mumbled.

'Because you seemed unusually concerned with them, in fact if I didn't know any better I would say you were scared.'

Allen looked at Kanda; was it really that obvious that, as much as he was happy to see them, the way they had said goodbye meant that he could never really be comfortable around them again? Did the Exorcists know this?

'If we answer, you have to stop picking on our house,' Kanda grumbled.

'Let the thing with Harry go,' Allen chimed in, 'the boy is not his father, he is not the one who took Lily form you. You cannot punish a child for a parent he doesn't even remember.' Snape grumbled but said nothing. 'And as for pour Nevil …'

'I wouldn't punish him if he would just take this class seriously!' Snape almost shouted he was so frustrated.

'Then you have no problem if we tutor him outside the class room?' Allen said with a glint in his eye.

'If you can get him to make a perfect potion by the end of the year I will give Gryffindor house twenty points in front of the whole school.'

Allen smirked as he slid of the desk to leave, 'deal.'

'Don't even think of entering that tournament!' was Snape's final words as the two left, Allen rolled his eyes but didn't say anything.

The two spent the rest of the day listening to the trio ask if Snape had done anything funny to them and Lavi teasing them, constantly asking what the two had done to get so smart.

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The Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson that they had on Thursday was not something that Allen, Kanda or the Exorcists wanted to repeat, ever. They had remained silent as they sat next to the trio during the lesson, the only sound they had made was as Miranda freaked out and cried as the spiders were tortured. They had all seen pain and destruction, but never displayed so clinically and without emotion.

They were all too pleased to get out of there, only for Allen and Kanda to be held back after class for the second time that week. For some reason they were a lot more worried about this talk than the last one.

'So,' Professor Moody murmured, 'is it normal for school children to have access to so many illusion charms?' his magic eye never wavered form Allen as he spoke.

'Professor?' Allen said hesitantly.

'The illusion charms, you have them caked on you so heavily even my eye struggles to see through them. Such an interesting thing to hide, I wonder why you feel the need to do so, I wonder what would happen if anyone found out.'

'Are you threatening us,' Kanda ask. The man looked at him with an unreadable expression.

'Is it a threat? I was merely curious as to what would drive a child to hide in such a manner. I find it interesting indeed that you would have access to these types of spells, more so if you cast them yourselves. A lot of talent that, and talent needs to be treated carefully, protected and nurtured correctly, otherwise it rots and needs to be disposed of before it's disease can spread to the rest.'

This man was wrong; his quite spoken words slid like oil over Allen's skin and made him shiver. He wanted out, he wanted away, someplace this man would never find him.

'I suggest you be careful, very careful, from now on. You are dismissed, I need to go and see to Longbottom.'

Kanda didn't take his arm off of Allen's shoulder for as long as he could get away with it. Allen was muttering about that man being the one that was rotten. He knew well the effect he had on people, bringing supressed darkness to the surface of the hearts of others for all to see. What he didn't know was just how dark a person would have to be to show such a clear effect after so little exposure. His presence had a slow build up rate, and he dreaded this man in just a few days' time. There was a high possibility that he would end up getting violent before too much longer.

One thing was certain now; there was something wrong with that teacher. It was time to tell Dumbledore that he needed a watcher for his security.

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	21. Goblet of Fire part 11

After the Defence Against the Dark Arts class the eight students who were attempting to be friends all met up in the Great Hall for dinner before they left to do homework. The trio were doing a much better job of trying to befriend the duo than they had in the past, but they may have had more to do with circumstances than any actual effort on the trio's part. They had hung out a little the year before in common room, but Harry had been more interested in Padfoot than them, now that they were in the same classes it was a lot easier to be around them during the day. The introduction of the Guards seemed to have helped as well; apparently the introductions that first night and that they were all in the same class meant that the guards went to Harry and Ron for information about the school, and because the Duo were hanging out with the guards as well this meant that the eight of them were all spending a lot of time together.

Usually. Not at the moment, however, as after dinner the Guards said their goodbyes.

'Sorry,' Lenalee said, 'but since we're meant to guard this place soon we have to get familiar with the layout, include the places out of bounds for students.' She continued as Ron looked like he was about to offer another tour.

'We'll probably be going on nightly excursions so that Miranda can learn where not to put her feet!' Lavi joked and Miranda started muttering apologies under her breath.

Lenalee gave him a glare that actually made Ron back up before she spoke again. 'Besides, don't all of you have homework? We'll have to do ours later but you lot shouldn't have to miss out on sleep for our sake,' and with that they were gone.

Once they had arrived in the common room Harry, Ron and Kanda sat down with their homework. Allen, on the other hand, decided that he had more important things to do and wandered over to the Weasley twin who were talking conspiratorially over a piece of paper. Harry idly wondered what the three of them were doing, but decided he needed to finish his homework more than he needed to snoop around.

'Having trouble collecting your earnings?' George looked up to see Allen Walker standing over the top of them and reading their letter. He had a look in his eye that said that lying, at this point, wouldn't do much good.

'Yeah,' murmured George, 'just a little mix up with the payout.'

'Strange little mix up to give everyone leprechaun gold,' Allen replied. The twins looked at each other and then at Allen.

'You made a wager against Bagman at the cup as well, didn't you?' Fred asked.

All three boys talked quietly, they weren't sure why. 'Yes, I did, quite a bit if you remember, and everything I got payed was gone by the next morning. So, if you are intending to try and get your winnings, I'm not sure how successful you'll be.'

The twins looked at each other; it was one thing to not get a response from one person about a mistake in which gold was use, but it was another to discover that someone else was having the same problem.

Soon the three of them were discussing what and what not to put in the letter, a letter they were all beginning to suspect would never be received. Eventually they looked at the time end decided it was time to go to bed. Allen left a parting line.

'If he never pays you back, come to me and I'll see what I can do in giving you back the original amount you lost,' he said quietly.

The twins shared one of those looks that only twins can pull off. 'Why would you do that?' George asked.

Allen shrugged, 'because the ability to create laughter is something that often doesn't get as much credit as it disserves.' With that the white-haired boy went to re-join Kanda and the trio and the twins went to bed.

Harry watched Allen but didn't say anything. Just this once, he decided, he could respect someone else's privacy.

The four of them had been doing homework for five minutes after that when Hermione arrived back from the library. No one, not even a true seer, could have for seen the explosion her arrival would instigated.

'Not _spew_. It's S-P-E-W. It stands for the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare,' Hermione explained the badges. Harry and Ron were too busy staring at her in amazement and confusion to notice just how pale Allen was getting.

'Never heard of it,' said Ron.

'Well of course you haven't, I've only just started it.'

'Yeah? How many members have you got?' Ron sounded surprised. Allen was looking horrified and Kanda was placing his hands very close to ears, but no one noticed that.

'Well – if you four join – five,' Hermione said.

'That is not going to happen,' Allen said in a surprisingly calm voice.

Ron glared at him but didn't disagree, though for a different reason to Allen. 'Yeah, do you really think that we want to walk around wearing badges saying "spew" do you?' said Ron.

'S-P-E-W!' Hermione looked incredibly insulted and was glaring at Allen rather fiercely. 'I was going to put Stop the Outrageous Abuse of Our Fellow Magical Creatures and Campaign for a change in Their Legal Status – but it wouldn't that's the heading of our manifesto.'

'And why exactly,' Allen said in a rather loud voice, 'do you think they are being abused?' Kanda's hands had moved from near his ear's to over them.

Hermione looked rather startled, 'because they are being used as slaves. No pay and no education, not even holidays! It's been like this for centuries and no one has said anything.'

'So, you have something against the way House-elves choose to live their lives, do you?'

Harry didn't think he had ever heard Allen use a voice like this, not even when he was yelling at Kanda. It was cold as ice, and although he was still smiling he looked like he was about to take a bite out of something, probably Hermione.

'They didn't choose it, they have been brainwashed into accepting it!' Hermione was also speaking rather loudly; Kanda flinched as he saw the fire start to kindle in the Moyashi.

'So, you have decided, without ever actually meeting a house-elf, that since you have been to a few years of school and read a few books, you must know more than them and are therefore free to decided what is best when it comes to how they live their lives? That sounds like an even lower opinion of them than that of their current masters.'

'You do realise that your sheets are changed, your fires lit, your classrooms cleaned, and your food cooked by a group of magical creatures who are unpaid and enslaved.'

'Because they enjoy doing it and, to them, it is the best Job in the world.'

'As I said, that's because they're uneducated and brainwashed!'

'No! It's because they are genuinely good creatures that seek to help others without looking for anything in return!' Allen shouted. 'They believe they have a purpose, to help others, from birth they know exactly what it is that they were meant to do. They aren't like humans who worry about what they are going to do with their lives or whether they will succeed, they find comfort in the knowledge that they have a purpose in life.'

'Only because they don't know any better!'

'Okay,' Allen started to calm down and Kanda started to look rather nervous, it was not a look Harry had ever seen on the boy's face and, had the situation not been so worrying, he would have found it funny. 'Let's say I agree that house elves have got the raw end of the deal, what exactly do you intend to do to help them with this club of yours?'

The look of triumph on Hermione's face was obvious as she thought that she had won the argument. 'Our short-term aims, are to secure house-elves fair wages and working conditions. Our long-term aims include changing the law about non-wand-use, and trying to get an elf into the department for the regulation and control of Magical creatures, because they are shockingly under-represented.'

'So, you want to make them unhappy by taking away the one thing they actually enjoy doing. Insult them by suggesting that they are stupid for wanting to help others, offer them money when the only payment they want is compliments about their work thereby undermining their beliefs, and put them in a situation where the elf would feel incredibly uncomfortable.'

There was silence for several seconds as Allen's words sunk in, Hermione looked horrified … and furious.

'So, you believe that, just because their ignorant, they should be left in enslavement and mistreated by their owners? Dobby's a house elf, he was mistreated by his owners and was very happy when he was set free.'

'I'm not denying that there are some that would benefit from being allowed to leave as they like, but they are the minority and you are talking about mistreatment on a much larger scale.

'Kanda told me about what happened to Winky during the Quidditch world cup,' Hermione glared but Allen continued, 'so I know you saw it, but you seem to have grievously misunderstood what happened. You seem to think that she was upset because her master mistreated her, but the reason she was so upset was because he was telling her to leave. You think your standing up for them with your little club? You're just going to do what he did on a much larger scale, you go through with it and you'll be even worse than he ever was.'

As Allen finished his last sentence the portrait door opened and admitted the three guards. They didn't seem game enough to go any further into the room, instead they stood watching, thinking that the only other time they had seen Allen this angry was when he had thought that he had lost his friends forever at the hands of the earl.

Kanda, just this once, didn't care that the others were there to see, didn't care if they figured it out. He had to get the Moyashi away from this argument. He could see him breaking at the seams the longer this went on, the more Hermione argued; even if she caved and agreed with Moyashi the fact that that had been her view on them was something the boy was unlikely to forgive anytime soon. Moyashi understood the house elves mentality, had had too many experiences caused by people similar to Hermione for similar reasons. Hermione's opinion on them would have cut him deep for more reasons that she could possibly ever know.

No, he didn't care what the other Exorcists thought as he grabbed the Moyashi by the arm and dragged him from the room and off to bed. He didn't say goodnight, he was too busy wondering how many times these people would insult and anger them just because they didn't know something or didn't think before they spoke.

He hoped that he hadn't been as bad as that, way back when.

The two trios stood in awkward silence; the guards because they had no idea what they had just walked in on, and the others because they felt like they had just trod on a very sensitive nerve. Harry was probably the worst out of all of them; he had a lot more to be awkward about.

How on earth was he meant to tell Hermione about Kreacher now?

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It was very late at night when one of his alarms woke Dumbledore to tell him that someone was in his office. He suspected who it would be, and he hoped it wasn't anything important, he would like to get through at least the rest of the first week of a school term before being informed of some horrifying event or even more earth shattering news.

Sure enough, Mr Walker and Mr Kanda were waiting for him when he arrived, still in his dressing gown. Mr Walker looked like he had been crying and for once wasn't trying to hide the snake that Dumbledore knew never left his side. Mr Kanda looked well and truly furious, but Dumbledore quickly found out that it was completely unrelated to why they were there.

By the end of the discussion he wished it had been; bulling was a lot easier to deal with than imposters.

'To what do I owe the pleasure?' he asked, hoping they couldn't see the sleep in his eyes behind his glasses. 'And are there any students which should be present as well to sort out any disagreements?'

'No, but you might want to call one of the teachers, after we have left,' Kanda said.

'A teacher?' Dumbledore knew he sounded confused, 'is this about the slight change of classes?'

'That's a problem too, which we will have to discuss at some stage, but at the moment we have a slightly bigger problem.' Dumbledore felt his hope that this would be a simple matter getting lower with every word Allen said.

'Is it possible that Professor Moody is an imposture?' Kanda asked.

Dumbledore blinked before replying. 'I would like to think that I would have noticed if he was, but I am getting old, so I suppose I might not be as sharp as I used to be, much as I hate to admit it. May I enquire as to what makes you think he might not be Moody?'

'He made some rather subtle threats to Moyashi,' Kanda started explaining, but then Allen took over.

'It's a little more than that,' he said, 'I have a habit of … revealing what others would rather keep hidden. If a person tries to conceal darkness in their heart, then they would find it almost irresistible to react aggressively towards me. Of course, the same can be said of those that try to conceal their softer emotions, they tend to get a little protective.' At that Allen shot a rathe pointed look at Kanda, a look that was rather clearly ignored. 'The effect will fade if they spend enough time away from my presence, but it will also get stronger the longer they hang around me; the more darkness, the quicker the reaction. For Moody to threaten me the first time we met … it means he is hiding a lot of darkness, more than I was led to believe he held given what I know of his history.'

Dumbledore looked at the boys; the ability sounded like it would be handy for those around you, and rather problematic for the person currently holding it.

'I will keep an eye on him, I can't do much more without solid proof, but I can try and limit the amount of damage he can cause if what you say is true.'

'That's all we ask.' Allen said and the two left.

Dumbledore wondered when on earth he was going to get used to them coming and going like they owned the place.

He also wondered what had happened to Allen to make him so upset before coming in, because he didn't think it was the threats alone that would make him behave like that.

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 **AN: not sure how I feel about this chapter, I'm uncomfortable writing conflict so the argument between Allen and Hermione was difficult to get through, not sure how well it worked.**


	22. Goblet of Fire part 12

**Warning: mentions of homophobia in this chapter**

The day after the argument with Hermione the change within the group that had formed over the last week was obvious for all to see from the moment they arrived at breakfast. Allen and Kanda made sure to sit as far away as possible from Hermione, and by extension the others. The guards looked confused but, after realising that the other two were not talking to _them_ either, had sat down next Harry.

Of course, the first thing they had done had been to ask for, and receive, an explanation about the events the previous night.

Lavi listened with a heavy heart as Hermione recounted the argument she and Allen had had. He didn't know how accurate her recount was, memories were a funny thing to other people, but he did think that if Allen's words had been said with any sort of accuracy then it sounded like he was talking about something other than House Elf rights.

For a few seconds after Hermione had finished her recount the others didn't know what to say, her depiction of Allen had actually been surprisingly accurate, and then Miranda spoke.

'I agree with Allen-kun,' she murmured.

Hermione looked at her with her mouth hanging open, 'Excuse me?'

Miranda hesitated before continuing, 'I think he is right, you shouldn't judge how another person lives their life just because you don't understand it. You shouldn't assume just because you don't agree with them that you are always going to be the one in the right.'

And with that she stood, rather hesitantly, and walked over to sit with Kanda and Allen, leaving the others to talk amongst themselves.

From then on, the group of eight had well and truly split. Allen and Kanda avoided the trio when at all possible (which they managed extremely well outside of classes) and Hermione refused to admit that Allen might have had a point, despite most taking his side. The guards could do nothing but make sure they were sitting between the two groups during lessons. Lavi and Lenalee tried to split their time evenly between their old friends and their new ones, Miranda just stuck close to Allen.

The feelings amongst the two groups was varied and yet similar. Harry was rather annoyed with Hermione, since she had destroyed all the work they had put into being friends with the duo. Kanda was also annoyed with the separation but understood Allen's feelings on the subject. Ron wasn't sure how he felt and was, admittedly, a little glad that he didn't have to hang around Allen and Kanda and listen to their opinions all the time now.

Lavi just thought that, eventually, someone would have to explain to Hermione why Allen felt the way he did. Privately he was running a betting pool with the smart money on Miranda.

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It only a few days later that Harry got another letter in the morning post from Sirius, this one was short and to the point.

 _Harry-_

 _I know the tri-wizard tournament was announced the first day of school, I know that several underage students will probably try and put their name up for consideration, god knows I would have if it had been me, and that the idea probably sounds appealing to you._

 _It is for this reason that I am writing. The competition is dangerous and there have been many disturbing events recently, if you event_ think _about trying to enter I will ground you for the entirety of the next holidays, I mean it._

 _Other than that, I hope your classes are going well and you're alright, just try and keep out of trouble._

 _From Sirius_

Harry chuckled; trust Sirius to figure out what he was thinking. He showed the note to Hermione and Ron; Hermione looked surprised and approving and Ron just laughed and asked if he was going to do it anyway.

Surprisingly, even the idea of honour and glory wasn't nearly as appealing as the knowledge that someone actually cared enough to tell him not to.

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With the increase in work load as the weeks progressed there was one class that stood out, for various reasons, and that was Defence Against the Dark Arts. Moody was considered a good teacher by all (most) of the students, but that didn't stop their surprise when he announced that he would be putting them all under the Imperious curse to try and teach them how to beat it.

Despite grumbles and mutterings about it being illegal, all the students participated, including Allen, Kanda, Lavi, Lenalee and Miranda.

Harry was called up like everyone else to be put under the curse and, while no one else had been successful, not many people were surprised that he had been able to resist the spell to some degree. Somethings you just accepted, the fact that Harry was hard headed was one of them.

Then Lenalee was called up and everyone laughed slightly as she started to compliment Lavi, something she was extremely embarrassed about later. Lavi blushed red after he seemed to wake up halfway through a pretend proposal to Lavender Brown. Moody was extremely happy to have found someone else who was capable of throwing off the curse, even if they were a little less adept at it than Harry had proven to be.

The biggest surprise, however, was Miranda. She tripped on her way up and stood there self-consciously as Moody called out _imperio_.

And she continued to stand there. After a minute Moody started laughing and she started apologising, it took people even longer to realise what had happened.

She hadn't been affected.

Moody, and the rest of the class, had laughed for quite a while before explaining that they weren't laughing because she had failed, they were laughing because so far she was the best in the class. Eventually they had allowed her to retake her seat as Kanda took her place.

Hermione blushed, but no one was really surprised when Kanda's only response to the curse was a rather rude muggle gesture accompanied by words that should never be said in the presence of children under legal age and the retaking of his seat, for some reason the two third-year student in their class seemed capable of all manner of advanced feats.

After Kanda was Allen, Hermione was careful not to catch his eye as he walked up to the stage. Allen had the strangest reaction; he stood there calmly as Moody cast the curse, and then Moody stepped back almost instantly and began to frown. Once again he tried, and once again he stepped back as soon as the word left his lips.

Shrugging he moved on to the next person, leaving the class to puzzle over the events long after they had left the class.

Later Lenalee tried to get Miranda to explain why she was able to throw off her cures; the only reply she received was that Miranda had never been very good at following instructions, unless they came from Allen.

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It was the day after the announcement of the Arrival of the Beaubatons and Drumstrang delegations that Harry thought he may have figured something out about the Duo that were currently avoiding them. It was only a little, insignificant thing, but he thought it answered at least one of his questions about them.

It had been simple really; a couple of Hufflepuff boys had walked passed acting rather "friendly" with each other. For a moment Harry wondered why Allen and Kanda were so concerned about their relationship getting out when things like that happened surprisingly often, but then his question was answered.

Lenalee, sweat, understanding Lenalee, had screwed up her nose in distaste. She had glared at the backs of the retreating figures with a ferocity that Harry had never seen before from anyone other than Snape.

Lavi hadn't looked much better. 'Disgusting,' he'd muttered under his breath.

Harry had looked between the two with raised eyebrows, Miranda looked rather uncomfortable, and this was her first time sitting with the other Guards at a meal since the argument, but she wasn't saying anything. 'What?' he knew he sounded surprised at their actions, but he didn't really care.

'That,' Lenalee had said with a gesture at the place the boys had been, 'it's unnatural, wrong.'

'If two people other than a man and woman were meant to be together, we would have been made very differently.' Lavi said in a dark voice.

'It's a disease, people like that should be kept separate so it doesn't spread,' Lenalee agreed.

Harry was left speechless; he couldn't quite believe what he was hearing. He knew that his reaction to Kanda and Allen hadn't been that great when he found out, he knew he had heard the Dursleys say similar things about the two men down the street to what they said about magic, but he just hadn't thought that Lenalee and Lavi would be like that. Their words sounded almost out dated they were so narrow minded.

Looking a little further down the table he saw the pained look on Allen's face and the angry one on Kanda's, that was when he knew that he would keep their secret.

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By the evening when the schools of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang where due to arrive the group still hadn't resolved their issues, however they had called a temporary truce. The Duo, often accompanied by Miranda, were willing to sit with the others so long as Hermione didn't bring up house elves in their presence.

The result of this agreement was that Ron now had to put up with them again, and Hermione still didn't know why Allen was so upset about it. It also meant that Allen was rather popular with quite a few students who were trying to avoid buying a badge.

Now they stood together in the Gryffindor group as they waited for the entrance of the two other schools. Many were debating travel methods, but Allen and Kanda seemed content to stay silent; Harry wondered how much that had to do with them being friendly with "Mr Camelot" who, after multiple trips to the library, they had found out was currently considered the greatest inventor of Magical travel methods, a young genius on par with a Potions Master by the name of Prince.

Standing there in anticipation Harry had time to think, as once he had had that thought Harry couldn't help contemplating another. Despite their best efforts, none of them could find much information on the Noah family. Trying to hide their research form the duo and guards was making it hard, but Harry suspected they would be struggling even without that fact. So far, the only thing they had managed to find was that it was a very old, very untraditional family that seemed to hold a lot of power and respect.

Finally, the Beauxbatons arrived in a flying carriage and everyone stared in amazement at the giant woman that emerged. Then the Durmstrang students arrived from the lake and Harry was so busy staring and trying to figure them out that he nearly missed Allen and Kanda's reaction when headmaster Karkaroff came into view.

Both boys were suddenly very pale, and Harry could have sworn Kanda was muttering profanities under his breath. While Harry had to admit that the man didn't look entirely trustworthy, he didn't look like someone two thirteen-year-olds should be reacting that bad to, unless they knew something he didn't.

Or if it was personal.

Then Krum came into view and everyone was reacting just as strongly to him as the two boys had to his headmaster, just in a slightly more positive light. The duo seemed rather amused at the commotion even as they kept their eyes on Karkaroff. They seemed even more amused at Ron's fussing as he seemed to want Krum's attention but was unwilling to make any obvious moves.

Ron didn't say it, but to him Kanda and Allen's amusement was more annoying than anything else that was going on around him. He suspected that Hermione and Harry felt the same way as they did, they were possibly even a little less subtle about hiding it, but for some reason he couldn't explain the idea that _they_ were amused had just rubbed him the wrong way.

He was starting to think they might be doing something to him.

Harry was thinking about the Duo in terms of something that had nothing to do with any amusement they might or might not have been feeling, he had noticed that they were careful to keep the rest of the group between them and Karkaroff at all times. They were very careful about doing so in a way that wasn't easily noticed, but Harry was watching for it after the sudden loss of colour at his arrival.

Eventually the feast began and the rather largish group that they had become had started tucking into their food. Conversation was sparse except for the discussions of some of the stranger looking foods that had turned up at the table. Ron wasn't that keen on the idea of them, but Allen looked rather delighted at some of the new choices, even though Kanda just stuck to his regular meal. Ron tried not to let it show just how much the younger boy was starting to get to him.

Of course, his annoyance was forgotten the moment the girl from Beauxbatons had shown up asking for bouillabaisse. For a moment it looked like she was just going to take the meal and leave, but then her eyes were drawn to Allen and she ended up starting up a short conversation.

'Oh, zat is rare; I do not zink anyone 'as seen one of your kind for a while. My name is Fleur Delacour; may I enquire as to yours?'

Allen smiled as he answered, but it struck Harry as a little off for some reason. 'Allen Walker, though I wonder if you could explain what you meant by "my kind"?' Harry couldn't be sure, but for a second he felt as if the words had had an undercurrent of something similar to parseltoung.

Fleur blinked and then seemed to smile just slightly. 'My mistake zen. I zought for a moment you might 'ave been a relative. Zank you for ze bouillabaisse.' And with that she left.

'She's a _Veela_!' Ron hissed once she was far enough away that she no longer scrambled his brain.

'Of course she isn't! I don't see anyone else gaping at her like an idiot!' Hermione responded, her attitude changed slightly when she realised that Lenalee was still trying to get Lavi out of _his_ dazed attraction. 'Or maybe she is.'

'No, she isn't a _full_ Veela, otherwise she wouldn't be at a magic school, but that doesn't mean she doesn't have one as a close relative. Could have a Veela grandmother maybe.' Allen spoke up.

Ron glared at him before Harry quickly took over. 'What did she mean when she said she thought you might have been a relative? Are you part Veela too?'

'Is that why your hair is white?' Ron butted in, and then flinched when Allen glared.

'Not that it is any of your business, but I don't have any Veela in my blood line and while my hair _is_ natural it is _not_ genetic. Besides, there are no male Veela and male half-breeds do not inherit any Veela traits.'

'Then why did she say she thought you might have been a relative?' Harry asked again.

Allen sighed before responding, 'Supposedly there was a similar race to Veela that consisted of all men, but they died out so long ago that no one knows if they ever existed in the first place. Research it in your own time if you're that interested in beautiful men and women that are not human.'

Ron and Harry went bright red at that, effectively killing the conversation until the last two chairs were taken and the trio was finally given something else to talk about while the others went back to eating.

Eventually they got to the official opening of the Triwizard with its introductions, explanations and general speeches. Only Allen and Kanda didn't look surprised at the "impartial judge".

'Please be very sure, therefore, that you are whole-heartedly prepared to play, before you drop your name into the goblet.

'There is just one other thing I would like to mention in terms of the preparations and safety. For those of you at Hogwarts and involved in the planning, you already know of the employment of three guards from an external organisation to help ensure the safety of the Tournament. They will assume their duties from tomorrow morning onwards. They will also be involved in ensuring the fairness of the competition, so if you are intending to enter your name with the intention of bending the rules in order to win, please think again.

'Now, I think it is time for bed. Goodnight to you all.'

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	23. Goblet of Fire part 13

**Just want to say thank you to all those lovely people who have followed, Favorited, and/or reviewed.**

 _Previously: They will also be involved in ensuring the fairness of the competition, so if you are intending to enter your name with the intention of bending the rules in order to win, please think again._

' _Now, I think it is time for bed. Goodnight to you all.'_

On the way out of the hall the conversation revolved around two things, the Age Line and Victor Krum. It came to a halt, however, when they ran into Karkaroff and his students.

Karkaroff was staring at Harry as Moody started to make his way over to the door, then his eye seemed to be caught by something behind him and his open staring turned to a frown. Confusion lit in his eyes and Harry turned around to see what was interesting enough to catch his eye away from his scar. He was met with the pale face of Allen Walker.

'Don't I know you, boy? You look rather familiar.' The onlookers looked confused, but Allen was looking rather pale behind his scar.

'No, I don't think so. I would hope that I would remember if I had met a person such as yourself before.' There seemed to be a slightly threatening edge beneath his words that, if you hadn't known him, would have appeared to contradict his smiling face.

Karkaroff seemed unaffected. 'You look very similar to someone who passed through my school just a little before I did. There was a seventh year that I remember as looking very similar to you during my first year, I believe his name was Red D. Campbell, I don't suppose he is a relative of yours?'

'I wouldn't know,' Allen hadn't lost his smile but now it looked a little sad, 'I grew up in an orphanage with no history on my parents.'

'Strange,' was all Karkaroff said. He turned and saw Kanda then, and if he had been confused before he now looked as if he suspected being pranked. Fortunately (or unfortunately if you were trying to ferret secretes from those involved) Moody had decided that those stuck behind the group at the door deserved to go to bed. After he arrived the very sick looking Karkaroff left as soon as possible.

The night had given several people lots to think about long after they should have been asleep.

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The hazy truce between Allen and Hermione from the night before was still in full swing the next morning as the five of them got to breakfast early in order to watch the Goblet of fire. The guards had all been up early in order to assume their duties, no longer would they be able to join the others as they now had their own rooms and were required to sit at the staff table. That didn't stop them, however, from gravitating towards the Trio and the Duo while working. Despite everything the three of them had developed a rather strong bond with the others over the last two months.

'Pity we're not allowed to join,' Lavi commented just after the Weasley twins were led away to have their beards removed, still with a chuckle in his voice. 'The whole thing sounds amusing.'

'You're not over seventeen?' Ron asked confused, Hermione just rolled her eyes.

'Honestly, Ron, you can be so thick sometimes,' at his blank stare she explained. 'They are meant to be guarding the tournament and they're not a student of any school, despite attending our classes. Of course they're not allowed to participate, no matter how old they are.'

Ron when bright red and started talking about the sight of his brothers as the five of them left the guards behind to have breakfast. 'Still, pity it didn't work. Would have been excellent to have been chosen, almost worth the beards if it didn't spit you back out again.'

'Wouldn't have even if I could pass it,' Kanda grumbled. He suddenly got a rather dangerous look in his eye as he continued, 'I wouldn't let Moyashi participate either, even if he was of age and unlikely to get a beard. He attracts way too much trouble to be trusted in a game that actually has a death toll.'

Ron was mumbling about him really just avoiding the beard because it was a turn off, but was ignored by everyone as Allen spoke over the top of him. 'For once I agree.'

Ron gave a really derisive snort, and this time there was no way to ignore what came next. 'I thought you were a Gryffindor, instead you're a coward who runs from just a little trouble.'

Allen frowned at him, 'I'm not a coward, I just know my limitations. I know that I tend to have incredibly bad luck and, most likely, wouldn't survive to compete in the first task because my doing so will endanger a gamble that someone made.'

After that the group was silent as they sat down to breakfast. The only comments were those relating to the older students who may or may not have put names in, and the few who were confirmed as doing so.

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The trio spent the rest of the day at Hagrid's, with only a very small incident to break up the visit. When lunch time rolled around, Harry volunteered to go and ask Allen and Kanda to join them for the meal (much to Hermione and Ron's disgust) and had raced back to the castle. Allen and Kanda had claimed they wanted to go to the library in order to study the year they had missed (something the trio doubted they actually had to do) and so had not gone to Hagrid's with them when they originally left. Harry wasn't sure if Hagrid was even aware of the duo outside of them being just a few more students.

Harry was just walking into the entrance hall when he saw Allen and Kanda's retreating backs. He had just opened his mouth to call out when it happened.

There weren't many people in the hall, most who had intended to put their names in had done so and the number of watches had decreased as the number of people submitting their names had. As such there were not many people to watch the disgusting behaviour of a sixth year Ravenclaw as he gave Allen a shove as he walked past. As the person continued walking they didn't see what was happening behind him.

The shove had been none to gentle, causing Allen to completely over balance and fall to the ground. It wasn't that he had fallen, however, that was the problem; it was where. Allen had fallen through the Age line and was now sitting on the floor.

He hadn't been thrown out, he didn't have a beard, yet he had had to twist in order to avoid nocking the Goblet over. As Harry watched Kanda leant down to offer a hand, something that also required crossing the age line, something he also did without incident. Dusting themselves of they continued on their way to the Great Hall.

What on earth was going on?

Some part of Harry knew that the boys had some way of keeping track of him, which meant that they should know that he was there, but that asked even more questions than the event itself. It was almost as if they were _asking_ for them to figure it out.

And suddenly he had an idea, though he would have to wait to put it into practice.

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The three champions were called and, for Allen, there were no surprises. The names were read and all the students went wild as these three people really did deserve to be chosen to bring pride to their school.

'The champion for Durmstrang will be Victor Krum.' Expected, the boy was an international seeker but, from what Allen had seen, wasn't that interested in fame of it. Allen hadn't bothered betting (Lee Jordan had set up a pool with the help of the Weasley twins, this one ensuring fair play) as he didn't think anyone would bet against that particular selection.

'The champion for Beauxbatons is Fleur Delacour!' about half the people had called right. Because she had Veela in her history it gave her a slight advantage, but Allen suspected that she would have been chosen regardless. Beauty and charm was one thing, but it didn't make up for pure talent.

'The Hogwarts champion is Cedric Diggory!' Allen was rather pleased that no one could hear Ron's exclamation. The boy deserved the recognition and the house deserved the proof that they were not, in fact, dull. Like Krum, Diggory was a good seeker; he had also been clearly embarrassed around his father's boasting. Allen had made a fair bit of money on that bet.

'Excellent!' Dumbledore was saying. 'Well, we now have our three champions. I am sure I can count upon you all of you, including the remaining students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, to give your champion every ounce of support you can muster. By cheering your champion on, you will contribute in a very real –'

He was interrupted as the goblet of fire started to hiss and spit a fourth time, everyone in the hall apart from Allen, Kanda, and one of the teachers looked startled. The silence of waiting breath hung throughout as everyone waited for the name to be called.

'Harry Potter,' everyone was too busy gossiping and staring to actually noticed how shocked the boy looked, how uncomfortable he was moving through the buzzing Hall so completely absent of any kind of welcome. He was probably petrified by the time made it to the door.

It was probably a good thing that Harry didn't get to see what happened next, Allen didn't think his nerves would have been able to take it. Allen and Kanda themselves were caught off guard when, as soon as the door shut, the fire went red again.

What the hell was going on?

Once again, the hall was silent in confusion and anticipation, as once again a name that should not be entered was plucked from the goblet and read allowed for the whole hall to hear.

'The Destroyer of Time,' even Dumbledore had trouble hiding his confusion at that, though his expression was a lot less extreme to some of the others.

Quite a few Hogwarts students, the school couldn't keep secretes, had gone rather pale as they remembered rumours about that name in a prophecy the year before. The students who hadn't heard it (few) and the ones from the other schools just looked confused. That wasn't a name, how can you destroy time? Half the Hall was abuzz with speculation and the other half was silent.

Allen Walker sat there in silence and refused to move, this wasn't happening. Kanda and the Exorcists were giving him funny looks, but he was too busy denying reality to interpret them.

The whispers and shock was eventually interrupted by Dumbledore, 'if the Destroyer of Time is present, can you please make your way to the stage.'

 _No, no, don't make me; don't paint a target on my back without my permission. I have plans; this was not the time to have that name revealed. Whoever did this is going to pay._ These were the sentences running on repeat in Allen's head.

They were still going around when Kanda nudged him and murmured in his ear "magically binding", forcing him to stand and attract the attention of the whole Hall.

Now no one was talking, Allen was shaking in what those that didn't know called nerves but those that knew him realised was anger. Not even chatter interrupted the sound of his footsteps ringing in the hall as he walked to the teachers table and over to the door. The teachers didn't respond, probably didn't know how to, as he passed.

The other side of the door wasn't much better than the one he had just left. Harry stood awkward and silent in the middle of the other three champions, apparently they wanted to know what was going on and Harry didn't know what to say to them.

And he wouldn't be able to help much when it came to explaining what the hell was going on. 'The teachers will be here once they remember how to move,' he called, interrupting the confused scene. 'Though I have no idea how long that will take, you may want to get comfortable.'

The other four stared at him as he sat on a chair relatively close to the door; Harry thought it was the first time he had seen the boy not smiling.

Several minutes later Bagman arrived. Smiling and talking with that childish excitement that grates of people's nerves when it comes from anyone older than twelve, he dragged the two into a standing pose, slung an arm over each of their shoulders, and dragged them over to the other three.

'Gentlemen … lady, may I introduce you to the _fourth and fifth_ Triwizard champions?'

Before anyone else could reacted to the surprise introductions, Allen interrupted first. 'No, you may not, you may say nothing until those a little higher on the food chain have discussed exactly what happened and figure out any alternate options.' His voice could have frozen hell, and quite possibly did.

It was at that moment that the teachers arrived through the door, closely followed by Kanda and the Guards.

Fleur ran to her Headmistress at the same time as Kanda extracted Allen from Bagman's hold.

'Madam Maxime! Zay are saying zat there are more zan zree champions?'

Before Madam Maxime could say anything, Allen had interrupted. 'I refuse to participate in an event that I did not sign up for.'

Silence settle as the comment sunk in, the guards found themselves taking a silent step back at the look on Allen's face. Apparently, this conversation was not going the way anyone had expected.

Bagman gave a rather shaky laugh. 'My boy, what are you talking about? The contract was binding, the moment your name was pulled from the Goblet you have no choice but to participate. This is why Dumbledore said to think carefully before entering your name.'

'Perhaps, then, he should have also said to think carefully before entering someone else's.'

'I beg your pardon?' Bagman said hesitantly.

'I did not enter my own name into that Goblet. I also doubt that Mr Potter put his name up for consideration either. This is more than just cheating age lines or convincing others to do the dirty work, someone convinced a very strong magical artefact that there were more than just three schools competing in the _Tri_ wizard Tournament; that is not something a student can do.

'This wasn't just putting a name up for consideration without the persons permission; this was a plot to force two underage students to participate in a _deadly_ game against their will. I expect the responsible, or irresponsible as the case may be, people to be justly punished and for those entered against their will to be released as there is no way that this sort of thing can be legal.'

In the end it was Mr Crouch who spoke up. 'If what you say is true than we will search for those that would do such a thing, though I doubt our chances of finding out. However, what Bagman says is true; there is no way to remove you from the Tournament once the Goblet of Fire announced you as a competitor. We must follow the rules. The only way you may exit the competition is if you do not, in fact, own the name that was called out, otherwise you must participate.'

'He does,' everyone stared at Lavi, who had been silent up until then. 'We've known Allen in the past. At the time there was this … prophetess … who stated that Allen was the Destroyer of Time. Sorry, Moyashi-chan, but according to the Rule book you have to participate, like it or not.'

The two Hogwarts students had gone pale at the mention of that name. Nothing was secret in Hogwarts, not even prophecies.

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	24. Goblet of Fire part 14

_Previously: The two Hogwarts students had gone pale at the mention of that name. Nothing was secret in Hogwarts, not even prophecies._

Allen was furious, he was so far beyond furious he had entered that stillness that people often mistake for calming down but was actually the realisation that you wanted to kill a lot of people. 'Fine, I will participate. And I don't think it should be that hard to find those responsible, I have a rather good idea about who would have entered me into the competition under _that_ name. There are very few people who have heard it, even fewer who would want to actively investigate, and fewer still who would have the opportunity to pull a stunt like this. I hope that I am wrong, but if I am right and it _was_ some idiot Ministry official acting in the name of the greater good than I would like to know _exactly_ which idiot thought that this half-baked idea was a good one. I would like them fired and, if at all possible, to spend two months in Azkaban so that they may reflect on their complete lack of intellect.'

'That's a bit harsh, don't you think?' Bagman muttered, looking rather unnerved.

'No, I think it is a rather light punishment, all things considered.

'Actually, let's consider these things, so that you can all understand exactly what it is this person has done. Forgetting anything about prophecies what this person has done is, essentially, entered a name into the competition with no basic knowledge of that person. The prophesy states only that the war will begin after another has finished, it did not state when that would be; this means that the "Destroyer of Time" could have been older than school age, under the age requirement, a child, an _infant_ , or not even born yet.

'That leads us to the second problem to this plan; once entered you had no way to _un-enter_ the person should any of these things prove true. You had no back-up plan should it prove likely that your _saviour_ would be unable to survive this tournament, effectively killing your only hope of survival from that prophecy.

'And that leaves us with the final flaw of this plan. As well as telling the ministry you have also told the people who were _planning_ the destruction exactly who they have to knock off to guarantee success. Should the person you were outing have had plans, which I did by the way, that revolved around keeping their connection to that name a secrete you have just absolutely crushed them, meaning their ability to keep you all alive has just been put into question.

'So, no, I do not think two months in Azkaban is harsh.'

'But Hogwarts still has three champions, how is that playing by the rules?' Karkaroff sneered after a moment of silence in which everyone absorbed what Allen was saying. 'What about the rest of us? Shall we all resubmit out students until every school has an even number of competitors?'

'Hogwarts only has one champion,' once again it was Allen. Harry really had to admire the boy's courage as he spoke, unconcerned, over the top of the teachers; then again, the boy was so mad Harry didn't think it occurred to him to be scared. 'Harry has not been at this school long enough to claim that it is what led him to victory should he win. He should compete as what he is, a fourth champion from an unnamed school.'

'And you? Who gets the glory if you win, assuming you survive to see the first task?' most people had forgotten that Snape was present. When he spoke, most assumed that they had hallucinated the concern in his voice as he sneered the last line.

The look of murder that Allen had had abated slightly, but only slightly. 'On the off chance that I win there is a group that will claim the benefits, but I would rather not name them if I don't have to. Do not worry, they are not a school.'

Silence settled, then finally Mr Crouch agreed to notify the Minister of Allen's proposed punishment and explained the first task (or not as they were not _supposed_ to know what it was) and the "champions" were allowed to leave, Allen left first before anymore politics could be involved.

'You had better hope that I do not die, otherwise, according to your _prophecy_ , you are all likely to live very short lives,' and with that parting comment Allen dragged Kanda out of the room.

Harry and Cedric left together soon after a small moment during which the adults had displayed just how annoyed they were. They caught up surprisingly quickly with Allen and Kanda, the two were walking in silence with Allen looking like he was seriously considering blowing something, or someone, up.

Harry had never envied someone more than he did Cedric when he was able to leave to head to his own house common room and get away from the murderous looking boy.

 _Destroyer of Time_ , what on earth did the phrase mean? As if the two weren't strange enough, Harry now had to add that dismal prophecy to the list of things he had to wonder about.

They were maybe half-way to the dormitory when Allen spoke; it caught Harry rather off guard.

'One thing about these kinds of situations can be useful; it lets you know who your friends really are,' Harry turned to Allen as he spoke, wondering what the boy was going on about. 'There will always be people who struggle to stick by others when it gets tough, those that will be jealous of the life you live.

'Let me give you a little bit of advice; these people can be good friends most of the time, but don't rely on them too heavily. If strain on the friendship means they are not willing to try and keep it alive, sometimes it's better to let it die, especially if miss-placed trust is likely to get you killed.'

Harry had absolutely no idea what to say to that. The advice made sense, but it sounded like Allen knew something he didn't, the comment was too pointed.

Why couldn't, just once, the boy make sense and not give rise to even more questions and mystery?

As they approached the common room the two boys muttered something about needing to calm down before returning, so that they didn't take out their anger on innocent people. Harry shrugged and called out the password to the two gossiping portraits.

The silence lasted a full second after he entered before Harry was swept up in a storm of congratulations and questions about how he had pulled off his marvellous feat. For what felt like ages, but was probably minuets, everyone made a huge fuss while asking how he got his name in the Goblet and forcing food on him expecting him to eat it.

And then it stopped.

Turning around, Harry saw Allen and Kanda walk into the common room. It was then that it occurred to him that, while he had been announced as a champion, Allen had been announced as something else entirely.

No one spoke, no one moved, as Allen made his way over to the boys' dormitory staircases with Kanda in tow. Harry couldn't help but feel guilty as he made use of the sudden silence to escape the party and finally make his way to his own room.

Later he lay in bed and wished that he didn't suddenly know exactly what Allen was talking about when he gave Harry the information about this being an opportunity to sort out which friends really were on his side.

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Dumbledore sat at his desk and watched as the people he had called arrived at his office. Severus and Minerva had followed him up from the meeting with the Champions, so had Moody but Dumbledore wasn't sure if that was good thing. Now they were just waiting on the Ministry officials. This meeting, after all, wasn't for something so simple that a school could claim to have the ability to solve it.

Finally, they arrived.

An unspeakable called Bode, and the minister himself, calmly entered the room, along with Kingsley Shacklebolt to act as a body guard for the Minister. Or, they were almost calm, Fudge looked more than a little nervous, which wasn't that surprising considering the glares he was getting from the two teachers Dumbledore currently trusted.

'Good evening, Dumbledore, Professors, got the message. So, what exactly did you want to talk about?' Dumbledore wouldn't admit it, but he was slightly impressed with Fudge for keeping his cool under the current circumstances.

'There were some interesting developments during the selecting of the Champions for the Triwizard Tournament tonight, we thought it best if we informed the ministry as soon as possible so that you could find the best way to deal with them.' Dumbledore made sure his eyes were sparkling, no one need know that it was with anger rather than amusement.

'Oh?'

'Yes, someone found a way to interfere with the goblet in order to insure the participation of two under-aged students. I thought you would like to be informed that someone had been disrupting the games that were put on in a sign of good will between schools in order to achieve some less than honourable intentions.'

'"Less than honourable intentions"?' Fudge looked incredibly uncomfortable now. 'Why on earth would you think that? Surely it is just two students messing around and found themselves in a little over their head?'

Dumbledore felt all humour leave his face. 'We now have _five_ competitors in the Tournament; one was entered under the name "Destroyer of Time" and _he_ believes the Ministry to have been involved. He was most distressed to find that someone had not only entered him against his will but also tricked the Goblet of Fire so that it was forced to name him. He is requesting legal action on those responsible; I expect you will get a report from Barty regarding the situation very soon.'

Fudge was looking decidedly sick; Dumbledore was hoping that it was only due to shock and the idea of someone doing something so stupid. No matter what else he was, Allen was one of his students, and Dumbledore did not appreciate people putting his students in danger unnecessarily.

'But that is not what this meeting should be about, what is done is done and we are unable to change it,' Dumbledore said in a voice that suggested he wished it was not the case. 'I have requested your presence to tell you that we now have the identity of the Destroyer of time, as I said, his name was called out by the Goblet of Fire. Allen Walker, third-year at Hogwarts, now participant of the Triwizard Tournament and already in full knowledge of his identity and the prophecy, and it seems this is not the first.'

Fudge blinked and started to look rather pale, 'he's that young and he already knew?'

'He was there when the prophecy was first given. What's more, apparently the boy already understood most, if not all, of the prophecy and was already making plans to avoid it. Of course, as he told us tonight, all those plans revolved around being anonymous and so they are no longer feasible.' Dumbledore wondered idly if Fudge would faint. 'I would recommend finding some way to cover this up, nothing is kept secret in Hogwarts, but I see no reason for the story to spread beyond here.'

With much nodding and agreeing Fudge soon left, after promising that Bode would see to it. Moody muttered something about not being needed after all and followed them out. Now it was only Dumbledore and the two people he trusted most left.

'Do you really intend to let them compete, Albus?' Minerva murmured, still looking pale.

'As I have said, there is nothing we can do. From the moment the names were spat from the cup they had no choice but to participate, complaining now will do no good. No, our only option is to keep a close eye on them and do our best to ensure their safety.'

'Ensuring the safety of two trouble magnets in a game that was cancelled because of the death toll? That is the best plan we have?' Severus sounded a very weird combination of concerned and sarcastic. Dumbledore wondered idly about what Allen had said about his other ability, the one that had to do with kinder emotions and protectiveness …

Oh well, that was a problem for another day.

'Yes, unfortunately, but there is something else I wanted to mention while we have this opportunity to do so without interference,' he paused to ensure he had their attention, 'keep an eye on Moody. I have it on good authority that he may not be all that he seems, do be extra careful to keep him away from our two surprise competitors.'

The two teachers looked at him in horror, and in McGonagall's case, chagrin. 'Is this the same Authority that told you about the basilisk? Will you ever tell us just where you seem to have found such a good source of information?'

Dumbledore just looked at her with a twinkle in his eye.

'Do you believe him to be involved with the incident tonight?' Severus asked instead.

'I think if he really isn't who he says he is, that it is too big of a coincidence for him not to be,' Dumbledore replied. The two professors looked at each other, they couldn't think of anything else to say.

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When Allen got up the next morning to head to breakfast, the same hush fell on the common room as had the night before. Kanda expected that there would be an explosion of noise once he left, but these people apparently didn't have the courage to gossip when someone so apparently distinguished held the possibility of over hearing.

They were even worst around him than they were around the "boy who lived", but then Harry didn't hold the same level of mystery as they currently did.

Sighing, Allen changed his destination from the Great Hall to the Kitchens. It was one thing to have silence traveling with you like a shadow, another to interfere with a group's meal by making them too scared to eat when there was an easier option.

Kanda thought that they deserved whatever inconvenience they got if they wanted to behave in such a manner.

Soon they were surrounded by house-elves trying to give them whatever food they wanted, not that it was hard to convince Allen. House-elves loved him; they enjoyed the challenge of supplying enough food to fill the boy up, they appreciated his appreciation and complements on cooking and service. There also seemed to be a bond that could only be formed between those willing to do anything to help others. Not even Kanda could dislike the little creatures.

The only problem was that, every time they came, they couldn't help remembering Hermione's current stand on house-elf employment. And every time they remembered it seemed to cut Allen a little deeper.

They had been there maybe five minutes when the Weasley twins arrived. The two red heads paused at the entrance when they realised they were not the only ones present, shrugged, and wondered over to the table where Allen's mountain of food was perched.

'So,' Fred said as he accepted an apple from a passing house elf.

'What are you?' finished George.

Allen and Kanda looked at each other over the constantly changing pile of dishes, the twins continued.

'I mean, we saw you both cross the age line,' Fred told them.

'But we don't think you put your name in, because you actually didn't seem interested,' George continued, it went back and forth like that for the rest of the conversation.

'Pity we didn't get you to put ours in though; then maybe we could have beaten Diggory as the champion.'

'Back to the original topic, everyone knows about the Bogart collecting, the snake familiar, and the fact that you are both ridiculously good in class.'

'So, we thought we would get to the truth of the matter and just ask what our to lovely little Gryffindor mates really are.'

'Since you didn't seem to be putting much effort into hiding your anomalies,' after George had finished the two looked at each other with raised eyebrows.

'Finally,' Allen exclaimed, 'we were beginning to think that there were no actual Gryffindor's in this school. I mean, how obvious do we have to be for someone to just ask?'

And with that the let the twins in on quite a few secretes as a reward for having the courage to ask out right instead of sneaking around and gossiping rather obviously behind backs.

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	25. Extra: a deleted alternate scene

**AN: this was an alternate scene I wrote where it was confirmed to be a ministry official on Halloween and Allen gets pissed. Posted it because I had fun writing it.** **THIS CHAPTER IS NOT PART OF THE STORY.** **Heavy spoilers for the books, that was pretty much the point of this chapter.**

 **Also, it is short, that is why you get two updates today instead of just the chapter before this one.**

Allen was furious, he was so far beyond furious he had entered that stillness that people often mistake for calming down but actually was the realisation that you were about to kill a lot of people.

'Let me get this straight; you wanted to know the identity of your "saviour" so bad that you forced me into a tournament I can't get out of, just so that I would reveal my face. You have no idea when the prophecy would be fulfilled, and had no plan for what to do should it turn out that I was younger than expected, I could have been an infant for all you knew. How dumb or insane are you that this plan seemed like a good idea to you?' No one spoke, no one had an answer.

Suddenly Allen was smiling like he had never smiled before.

'Fuck it, I quit, I refuse to save a race that is this stupid. I will participate in this tournament because I have to, but you people are on your own for everything that comes after. I hope you all enjoy what is left of your rather short lives because I no longer feel any desire to extend them.' Still smiling he turned to Cedric.

'Cedric, congratulation; you will win the tournament, you'll die doing it but you'll win alongside Harry so who cares about the small details as your father would say. As an added bonus, you may want to know that your name will be dragged through the mud and your murderer will escape because no one will want to believe he is alive.' As he continued talking Allen turned to each person in turn with a smile on his face and his voice bright, it was rather creepy as he continued to talk about death and destruction.

'Harry, your life sucks, have fun. Ron is going to abandon you absolutely every time things get rough, Hermione will stick by you, but she ends up marrying Ron so that counts for nothing. You're going to win the Cup alongside Cedric, and then you're going to be used in a ceremony to revive Voldemort. You are then going to go through so much suffering until the end of what would be your seventh year, when Voldemort is going to kill you using the Killing Curse, before that though you're going to watch nearly everyone you love die, including your owl.

'Dumbledore, you die at the end of Harry's sixth year because you foolishly put on a cursed ring and then get Snape to assist in your suicide. People will morn for a long time but your old and your death will be eclipsed by those so much younger than you.

'Karkaroff, when Voldemort returns you run but not fast enough. He will leave your body somewhere for others to find so I recommend you spend your last few months enjoyably.

'Moody, or more accurately Barty Crouch Jr. as that's your real name, will receive the Dementors kiss on order of his master. Mr Crouch Sr. will be killed by his son but he's already under the imperious curse, so I don't think he'll care much even as I tell you now.

'Fleur, you really do deserve congratulations as you will marry one of Ron's older brothers. You are probably one of the only ones here with anything mildly happy in your future.

'Fudge, no one will care when you die. Voldemort is going to return by the end of this year and you'll deny that until the day he breaks into the ministry, this mistake will cost you your power and position but make the most of things while you can.

'Your war with Voldemort will kill many and Orphan more. Remus, Tonks, Moody, one of the Weasley twins so many students and teachers of this school and so many Muggles that people will lose count.

'And when that war is finally won, another will start, with people playing with killing machines immune to magic. Every single speck of life on this planet will be erased.

'And my family and I will watch from an alternate dimension and laugh and comment on how it couldn't happen to a more deserving race. After all, this person is only finishing the work they started. And I will laugh with them and think about how I could have saved you all except that one person was just so stupid that I realised there was absolutely no point in doing so in the slightest.

'As I said, enjoy what is left of your pathetically short live.'

And with that last sentence, the White-haired boy left the room, Kanda hesitated before following.

'Moyashi is joking; he would probably kidnap a few children he thought were innocent enough in order to spare them, so the whole race won't die out completely.' And with that the two were gone.

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 **As I said, this was for fun. Allen doesn't necessarily know all of that information in the main story for Played Like Piano Keys, I just thought it would be funny if he did and blurted it all out in a fit of anger.**


	26. Goblet of Fire part 15

Allen and Kanda were in the process of sneaking off to an abandoned class room after breakfast when they ran into Professor Snape. Both thought, but would never admit, that they were just glad that it was him and not Moody.

'My office,' he murmured, 'now.'

The two didn't even hesitate before following as Professor Snape strode towards the dungeons, though Allen was a little annoyed; he could guess the content of this interrogation. He wondered idly if Snape would ask for an explanation or jump straight into the lecture.

He also wondered if Snape would give a similar one to Harry, and then remembered that, even if Snape's loathing did dissipate, then he would probably still leave it up to Harry's legal guardian. His protection of Harry for was Lily and no other reason. Oh well, as long as it kept the boy alive it didn't really matter why he did it.

'Explain,' Snape said, 'why after telling you not to enter the Tournament, your name was still called out last night.' So that was the road he was taking.

'Because people are stupid and corrupt and cannot think actions through before involving the innocent?' Allen said with a smile.

He suspected that Snape would have smiled, too, if he wasn't so pissed off and worried about Allen being forced to participate in the god damn tournament. 'So, I do not need to give you detention for completely disobeying me?'

'Preferably not,' Allen responded.

Snape sighed before fixing them with a very sharp look. 'You wouldn't happen to be Dumbledore's source of information, would you? The one that told him about the Basilisk and that Moody may be something other than an ex-Auror?'

'Damn it,' Kanda growled before launching into much stronger words. Allen and Snape just blocked their ears, before the Potions Professor finally kicked the two out of his office.

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Allen opened his eyes and threw something at Kanda's sleeping form. The room was dark and moon outside bright; a _tempus_ spell revealed that it was just on one o'clock, Monday morning. It was time.

Silently they both got dressed and headed out of the room; no one saw them, they had more than enough practice. No teacher would catch them as they made their way out of the castle and into the Forbidden Forest. This was slightly different to the normal nightly escapades that they often shared; tonight, they had something very important to discuss with the other exorcists, something best talked about away from walls with eyes and ears.

There was something to be said about Allen in the moon light, even with the concealment charms, Kanda noted not for the first time, and wished they could have been doing something a little more ... enjoyable.

Eventually they arrived at the designated clearing and waited, they didn't need to wait long. Soon the other three emerged from the trees. Allen and Kanda stood in the middle with the other three evenly spaced around the clearing so that only two were visible at a time, whether intended or not it was a rather threatening position. Allen wondered, once again, where they had been taken from and if they had found a way to communicate with central over the distance of decades.

'Allen-kun,' Lenalee paused before continuing, 'once this competition is over … it's time to go home, _all of us_.'

The expression on his face was the perfect combination of innocence and confusion. 'What are you talking about, Lenalee?'

'I know you said that it wasn't something we had to talk about yet; that we had a whole year together before we needed to start asking questions, that we could have arrived from different times and things would make sense in time, but I think your wrong. We're in the middle of a war, we don't have time to just sit around and pretending nothing is wrong.'

A soft sigh escaped into the night and Lavi started talking. 'Exorcists Allen Walker and Yuu Kanda, by order of the church, you are hereby conscripted into the War against Akuma and the Earl.' Lavi looked pained and the words confirmed that the Order had a way of communicating with them; Komui probably knew everything that had happened almost as soon as their oh so precious "Destroyer of Time" had been pulled out of the Goblet.

'Lavi, the war has been over for nearly a century,' Allen said with a smile.

'Here, maybe,' Lavi murmured, 'but not where we belong.'

'Yes, it is for us,' Allen said with a little more force, 'because we do not belong there.' Lenalee and Lavi looked confused.

'We told you idiots, if you break the rules and don't start looking at us funny just because you don't know what's going on,' Kanda reminded Lenalee.

'I don't know when you were summoned from, just how much time you managed to skip, but _we didn't_ cheat. This isn't us running to a different time to escape, this isn't us betraying people who are already long dead or looking for more weapons to use in a war with neither side playing by the rules,' the three guards flinched at that, and Allen noted it as information for trying to figure out just when they were from later, 'this is us living our lives. We got here the long way, we lived through the years you've missed.

'I have fought your war, I know how it ends, and I have seen you die. I am happy to see you, really I am, but to us you are nothing more that ghosts, remnants from a time I have spent many years wishing I could forget.' The exorcists were getting pale, this was not what they had expected. In all of their guesses, the idea that the two were _still alive,_ having survived the war and seen it to its end, that these two had somehow found a way to cheat old age, it was beyond even there most wild imaginings.

'If you know, if you've fought this war to its end, you can help us,' Lavi said with a gleam in his eye as an idea occurred to him. 'You can tell us what to do, you can come back and guide us.'

Now it was Kanda who spoke, and he was livid. 'Baka, we have survived the war once and now you want us to throw away the lives we won for ghosts we have already loved and lost?' he was snarling, and Lavi realised that he had never seen Kanda that mad.

'Lavi, we have. Your future and our past, we are still around in your time, still waiting and still fighting. You cannot take us somewhere where we do not belong, but we're right where you left us in your own time.'

The night was still as they all processed what it was that Allen had said. It scared Lenalee, and drove home the realisation that _she wasn't meant to be here_. She had known, in the back of her head, that she didn't belong in that time, but to be referred to as a ghost was like receiving the message in the form of a railway spike to the head.

She was dead, for all intents and purposes, in this time she was dead; and she was talking to someone who had seen it happen.

Almost as one, with no obvious signal that the meeting was over, the group of five turned and walked back to the castle, no one wanted to talk about the past any more. The next few days were bound to be awkward and Lenalee and Lavi were both suddenly very keen to get away from those people they had once termed friends.

There was just one more thing that Lavi wanted to ask. 'If you really are from the future after the war finished, who won?'

Allen actually laughed, but it had an edge to it that wasn't quite happy. 'Lavi, if the war ended decades ago and the world is still somehow spinning, it's rather obvious that we did.'

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Harry thought his weekend had been rather horrific, however it was nothing compared to Monday morning. There had been exactly one advantage to being from a muggle family, his Aunt and Uncle couldn't send him howlers like Mrs Weasley had done to Ron in second year. This advantage did not apply now that he was living with Sirius.

Harry had taken one look at the envelop, snatched it, and run from the Hall with all the speed years of running from Dudley had given him.

He was rather impressed with the distance he had managed when the envelope exploded in his hand.

'HARRY JAMES POTTER! WHAT WAS THE ONE THING I SAID NOT TO DO?

'I DO NOT KNOW WHAT UPSETS ME MORE, THE IDEA THAT YOU WANT TO RISK YOUR LIFE OR THE YOU COMPLETELY DISREGARDED MY PREVIOUSE LETTER.'

Harry found himself wondering if his guardian had gotten the letter that he sent the night before, or if this had been sent before it arrived. If so, he wondered how Sirius had found out so soon, all things considered.

'I DO NOT CARE ABOUT WHAT IT SAYS IN REGARDS TO WINNING HOUNOUR AND GLORY! WHEN YOU GET HOME YOU ARE NOT LEAVING THE HOUSE! YOU WILL BE KEPT UNDER SUPERVISION EVERY SUMMER UNTIL YOU GRADUATE, AND YOU ARE NEVER GOING ANYWARE OTHER THAN HOGWARTS DURING THAT TIME.

'ONE MORE THING, WHEN I FOUND OUT WHO THE HELL PUT YOUR NAME IN TO THE GOBLET WITHOUT YOUR PERMISSION, I AM GOING TO SEE TO IT THAT THEY ARE PUT IN AZKABAN!'

And with that, the letter was over, leaving Harry more than a little confused. At first, it had sounded like Sirius had thought he had put his name into the Goblet by himself, by the end he was rather under the impression that Sirius knew it hadn't been his fault and his guardian was talking about more security measures in case this was an assassination attempt, rather than a real attempt at punishment. Harry was also left wishing that he had sent the letter the morning of the first like he intended, instead of waiting. At least it was better late than never.

Oh well, at least Sirius cared, and was probably unlikely to starve him while he was grounded like the Dursleys had.

Harry was also incredibly glad that no one else had heard the howler; the rest of the school was cold enough towards him as it was. Everyone had thought he had put his name in the goblet, and the complicated situation of just _whose_ Champion he and Allen were did not help matters. Three out of four houses were not talking to him because they thought he was just trying to steel Hufflepuff's glory and didn't consider him a true champion. It hurt even more because Allen seemed to agree with at least the last part of the sentiment, though maybe not the lack of support that went with it.

Allen; his treatment was even worse than Harry's.

As far as the school was concerned Harry was a glory thief, but Allen was something else entirely. In a matter of seconds, he had gone from rather strange but not really a student people thought about much to a person of prophecy. From a weird child to a person who was a Destroyer destined to save the known world.

Snide comments and general snubbing followed Harry, Allen walked in a wake of silence. Very few people were able to look at the boy the same way, if at all.

This did have one advantage; people were less likely to make rude remarks to Harry if he was walking with the white-haired boy. It seemed the two were going to bond over this experience; especially as Harry couldn't afford to lose any more friends.

And then there was potions.

Harry… wasn't actually sure how to feel about that particular class. He had expected absolute torture, being trapped in a room with a whole heap of Slytherins and Snape, however it wasn't as bad as he had expected, and he had a feeling it also had something to do with Allen and Kanda's presence. Malfoy was the worst by far, and Snape wasn't anything close to supportive, but he kept his sarcastic comments to a minimum, and even Malfoy would hold his tongue whenever Allen would glance his way.

Of course, Harry should have known it was too good to last, as proved when the second Friday after his name had been called out Malfoy was waiting for the Gryffindors with badges on and a self-satisfied smirk.

And while all the Slytherins were laughing at him all he could think was that, no matter what happened after this, Allen was right and there was no way he could ever again accept someone who threw three and half years of friendship away so easily as to stand back and watch it happen.

And then Malfoy called Hermione a mud blood, and even as Harry fell to his temper he couldn't help noticing that Allen and Kanda had also made to grab their wands at his words. Finally, after the damage had been done, Snape arrived at the scene, seeming to increase the chaos coming from the Slytherins as they all tried to explain themselves and answer his question.

'Explain,' Snape's voice eventually cut though the racket, leaving dead silence as he pointed, not towards one of his own Slytherins as many had expected, but at Allen Walker.

Both Allen and Kanda had steel in their eyes as Allen started talking. 'Draco Malfoy thought it far game to spread racist propaganda in a school hall way by using a particularly well-known slur in regards to Hermione Granger. Harry Potter reacted … poorly ... to the slight on his friend and may have over reacted due to the stress he is currently under. Malfoy then continued to taunt Harry until wands were drawn and Curses fired simultaneously, though neither managed to hit their intended target. At least, I don't think they did.'

Allen did not back down, did not look away from Snape's eyes as if daring him to dismiss his words, to once again favour his house and allow it to spawn hatred and Bullies so used to getting away with everything. Gryffindors and Slytherins alike waited for the professor to curse the younger student for his cheek.

Snape glared at the room in general, hands clenching into fists at his side and lips thinning to white line. He hated this, hated things being dragged to the surface of his mind that he would really just forget, hated that he couldn't get away with his usual bias because he seemed to have somehow acquired two angels, or demons, determined to keep him on the straight and narrow and that actually managed to make him feel _guilty_ when he tried to deviate.

He hated that, just this once, he was going to have to do the right thing.

'Twenty points from Slytherin for using foul language in the corridors,' a sort of shocked silence descended, and Malfoy's jaw dropped and his eyes went wide. 'Fifty points each from both Slytherin and Gryffindor for both fighting and the use of magic in the corridors, both Mr Potter and Mr Malfoy will also be receiving a detention for their behaviour.

'You two,' he said, pointing at Hermione and Goyle, 'Hospital wing, now, and if _either_ of you start something on the way there you will both be cleaning cauldrons until Christmas. Now inside, all of you.'

Harry moved as if in a daze into the class room he was so shocked, as did the rest of his year. Ron was so out of it that he was almost to Harry's desk before he seemed to realise what he was doing and look over at his former friend.

For one moment Harry thought that things might go back to normal, but then that hope was shattered and he found himself sitting between Allen and Kanda, as if the two were trying to protect him from any Slytherin retaliation that might occur during the lesson.

And Harry, for the first time, found himself wishing that he could just _trust_ the two boys and that they really were his friends, because he didn't think they would ever abandon him for something so foolish as jealously.

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	27. D Gray man part 2

**AN: So, I am going overseas next week and wont be able to post a chapter. Unfortunately, I wouldn't have been able to any way, as I have run out of pre-written chapters and am currently suffering writers block for this story, so it is going on Hiatus.** _H_ _opefuly_ **it will be back soon, but I cannot make guarantees and I would like to get a buildup of chapters so that this is less likely to happen in the future. Sorry about this, and thank you to everyone who has favourited, followed or reviewed so far. You people are the reason that I write.**

 **Second chapter in Allen and Kanda's backstory. And I hate trying to write explanations, they always seem to end up boring**

 _Previously: 'Allen Walker, just as I have always been. Though, Allen Walker apparently suffers from severe amnesia and a parasitic innocence that refuses to let time and nature take its course, but that's not important right now.' Suddenly, the man was sitting up properly and staring right straight at Link. 'You have it, don't you, Atuuda?'_

Several members of the group stiffened, 'I serve the Fourteenth, I don't need to answer your questions.'

'Neah, you serve Neah, technically there is no Fourteenth, but that's also not important right now. Neah already told me you have it, and I want to know if you're willing to use it, and by extension your life, for your oh so precious Fourteenth, even if that's not his name.'

'You're talking to him? You and the Fourteenth are able to talk to each other? Why the hell would you want to do that?' Kanda all but yelled.

'Would you people stop getting hung up on things that don't matter? Yes, Neah and I have managed to open a line of communication. No, this ability to communicate will not stop him from eventually taking over my body and erasing me completely. Yes, this situation is a hell of a lot more complicated than it has any right to be and too many people are wondering around with only half the story and making it even more complicated than it already is. So, now that most of your questions have likely been answered at least partly and anything that needs a more specific answer can wait, can we please get back to the topic at hand that everyone seems to insist we deviate from?'

Silence filled the room, to eventually be broken by Link.

'How?'

'How what?' Allen replied, allowing annoyance to slip into his tone.

'How can you use Atuuda to help the Fourteenth, or Neah. You want an answer, give me one first.'

Allen drummed his fingers on the desk before answering carefully, though he would never admit that part of his hesitation was the lingering pain from being addressed in such a distant manner. 'All humans, and life in general, exist based on a double helix that forms the soul. Damages to the body can damage the connection between the two, as the damage, or injury, heals so does the connection, a person dies when the connection is broken, because the body cannot live without the soul.

'Some injuries don't just damage the connection, they damage the soul as well. The Millennium Earl has one such attack, he is capable of absorbing a person's soul so completely and at such a rate that the body disintegrates. Nearly forty years ago he used that attack on Neah, the unprecedented Fourteenth Noah under the illusion that his existence violated some natural order and so should be erased in order to correct it. More recently he used it against several Finders, obviously they are nothing but dust now.'

Kanda suspected that he was the only one that noticed "Allen Walker's" fingers twitch as if in pain at the memory, but he wasn't the kind of person to comment and the man had already shown a dislike for being interrupted, so he kept quiet and the man continued.

'Another example of something capable of damaging the soul is what Neah is presently doing to me,' and even Tiedoll hated how someone who looked so young could say that so calmly. 'Neah, or the Fourteenth if you insist on using that name, consisted of nothing more than a few fragments of the original soul that managed to escape the Earl's attack, due to his status as the so called "Fourteenth" and what that truly entitled, and the "memory" that was contained within those fragments. Before Neah could truly die, those fragments, that "memory", was placed into another living body, the so-called Host. Over time the fragments began to break down the hosts original soul in order to reform itself according to its memory.

'This process actually takes quite a long time, only the last stages of which are visible when both souls are of equal strength, both half formed and half destroyed, when the conscious minds start vying for dominance over each other in order to reflect the similar battle going on between the two souls. Eventually the "memory" wins and the Host soul is reduced to a similar state of fragments; the mind and memory of the host having been destroyed or wiped clean during the final stages of the process.

'Of course,' Allen continued after a few seconds of letting the horror of his fate sink in to those listening, 'this situation is a little bit more complicated than normal. The Noah transformation is caused by the Noah "memory" becoming dominant, obviously the one contained in Neah was already awake when he died, and so it is also awake in the Memory that it currently taking over my body, meaning that I also have to go through a Noah transformation before this process is complete. Unfortunately, that means that my body will be over taken by Dark Matter and given my status as a host of Innocence and the fact that those two materials don't really get along it's causing no small amount of conflict.

'And while that is rather interesting to someone like Jonny and the rest of the Black Order's scientist, it probably doesn't seem to answer the original question of what Atuuda has to do with helping Neah.

'Atuuda is … unique in the way it heals, as most who have any experience with it know, but they don't really think past the fact that it takes the life of the caster and uses it to heal the recipient. Most healing spells concentrate on healing the body which fixes the connection between it and the soul. Atuuda takes the life of the caster and uses it to heal the connection instead, which forces the physical body to heal, it is also capable of healing the soul itself.'

Allen looked directly at Link as continued to speak, his eyes serious as he tried to make sure that the man understood.

'If you have Atuuda, if you're willing to use it, and more importantly if you're willing to learn _how_ to use it to the level of skill required, then you can stabilize the process of conversion between Neah's soul and mine. You can "heal" both souls so that neither is trying to break down the other, you can make it so that neither of us has to die.'

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Allen walked out of the Mansion to see Kanda sitting in the tree that had been named Cornelia all those years ago, fifty or more by now. The last week had been interesting to say the least, though probably boring as hell for at least two of their number, but that was _their_ fault, the two exorcists should have gone back to the Order long ago if all they wanted to do was fight, though maybe Tiedoll was enjoying the chance to draw without interruption.

Jonny had been in heaven, the books and books of notes left behind by "Allen Walker" contained information the Black Order could only dream of getting their hands on; details on the Noah transformation, the configuration of the soul, the exact process of innocence synchronisation and the inner workings of the magic the Crow practiced as well as so much more that he hadn't even touched on. The ex-member of the science division had also, supposedly, found the correct formula for many Komui's failed experiments, not that anyone was willing to let him test them.

Link had been busy studying and practicing his control of Atuuda and, though the man would never admit it, Allen suspected that he was enjoying it immensely. It was one thing to be given a gift and have a natural flare for an ability, but Link had always struck him as someone who enjoyed working towards a goal and only ever really felt pride for something that had had to work, and work hard, for. The man had also improved in leaps and bounds, his natural talent combining with his work ethic to produce something resembling a prodigy, but then they probably should have known that considering how young he was for a crow.

General Tiedoll had somehow managed to avoid the chaos created by two scientists, a human hating Noah trapped in someone else's mind, and a student in a sink or swim situation that surrounded Allen's old work room, and instead enjoyed a rather quiet week off in order to do some painting, uninterrupted by his usual work or work place.

And Kanda, who as previously mentioned was sitting under a rather bare tree, had somehow been tasked with helping the original residents of the house with looking after Bookman, much to his displeasure and everyone else's amusement. The man had appeared rather conflicted over the last week, and now, with nothing better to do, Allen had every intention of finding out why.

He didn't get a chance to start his interrogation just yet, however, when Kanda delivered some news of his own.

'Bookman woke up,' Kanda said with no infliction in his voice. 'They claim it's not the first time, and the look on his face when he saw me was hilarious, but he spoke about what had happened after he went missing three and a half months ago.' Kanda seemed to hesitate, so unusual for the normally brash man, before stating what he did next. 'Lavi is dead.'

Allen felt like he had been punched in the gut. Lavi, Lavi was …

The other man had been complicated and, despite what the other had probably thought, Allen had known since the day he had met the red-head the conflict that was in his heart, mostly because it existed in the first place.

Despite his own conflicting opinion, emotions, and the dance and play the Junior bookman had seemed to act out as the single performer on stage, he was one of the few people Allen would have trusted with his life, and more importantly his soul.

Kanda, apparently noticing when Allen was ready to pay attention again, continued his abbreviated story of what had happened. 'They were captured and interrogated, the Noah were using Lavi in order to try and get Bookman to talk, not that it worked. One of them lost his temper and kicked him through a wall, smashed him up and apparently killed the parasites the others were using to poison him. They didn't bother with him after that, just threw him away somewhere for the animals to eat, apparently.

'Bookman was tortured for a while longer, but he wouldn't talk so eventually they just forgot about him and he managed to use what remained of his innocence to get out and these idiots managed to find him and save his life.'

The only thing that gave away that Kanda might not be as okay with this as he appeared was the death grip he had on the handle of Mugden. Allen barely noticed, and didn't bother to try and hide his own pain either, instead allowing it to show on his face and tears steamed from his eyes for another friend lost and the scar it left on his heart. One among too many.

'You care,' Kanda stated, apparently uncaring for how his own words might be taken. 'Your unnatural, for the last week you act like someone else entirely, nothing like that cursed brat. And then you do something and it is so ridiculously _him_ that it proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that your just the fucking Moyashi, even if you changed your still just the same, all the worst qualities carried over no matter how smart you pretend to be.'

'That's rude, Kanda,' Allen said, trying not to pout. 'And my name is Allen, you've said it once before, I don't know why you refuse to say it now.'

'Because you're not him, and I'm sick of you pretending otherwise. Unless you want to tell me who you really are, deal with it.'

Allen glared at the other exorcist, and a for a few precious seconds it was just like old times back at the Order, but then reality kicked back in and Allen tried to find the words to explain.

'Allen Walker was, is, not so much the name of a person but the name of a collective of personalities, or masks more accurately, that were all created based off and in order to hide the same root personality.

'Memories … memories shape how we behave, but they do not truly shape _us_. The same person, living two different lives, will act differently but in the end, they are still the same person and will react the same way to specific things. My memories … change, I have so many of them that it is impossible to allow all of them to dictate my behaviour at any one given time. Instead they become masks, ways of interacting with the world in the best way to suit my needs at the time, the ultimate poker face, so that others don't guess at my cards, who I really am.

'I _am_ Allen Walker, I _am_ the person you refuse to call anything other than Moyashi, I _am_ someone who failed to take over as a Bookman and was once the leading source on the science behind the soul, Innocence, and Dark Matter.

'As for the current, obvious, switches between personality, as I said before, I have had amnesia for the last ten to fifteen years. For the first time in a long time, I have had to start from scratch in building a mask, and even then, it was more a response to outside circumstances then the usual need to protect myself from something else. Because this … personality … was built in the absence of the usual memories and knowledge it is taking a while for the two to settle down into the smooth transitions that were once habit. Instead different things bring out different parts of just about every mask I have ever made in an attempt to get them all to _work_ and present a small amount of normalcy. It should calm down eventually, either when the personality that came with the knowledge fades away again, or when I get back into the practise of hiding behind my masks more effectively.

'The closest I have been to expressing who I really am, the mask that is the closest to the truth, would be the violent, rude, little brat that cried over the death of a dog as it lay in his grave because it didn't deserve the fate it got for being the only thing that could ever offer me any form of acceptance,' Allen finished.

Kanda was silent, his mind far away as he thought over Allen's words and one of the few problems he couldn't merely slice his way through.

'You're like that with me,' Kanda suddenly said, continuing at the confused look on Allen's face. 'You behave like that with me, Moyashi, you meet me insult for insult and stop me physically when you think I am taking things too far, then you turn around and cry on my shoulder after things go wrong and you can finally relax and deal with the fall out.'

Allen froze, his mind working to actually take note of, and accept, what Kanda was saying, before he finally managed to force out a stuttering response.

'Yeah, Yeah, I guess I am more myself around you than I am any other person alive today. Strange, huh?'

 **AN: to anyone planning on pointing out that Lavi is still alive and attending Hogwarts later on I have two things to say. a) Lavi is time travelling to get there and I haven't specified when he was taken from yet. b) I actually have a plan for this and things will get explained, the back story has been planned out and a fair bit of it pre-written compared to how short it actually is in relation to the main story, it's just finding _where_ to put the chapters that is a bit of a problem. **

**and for anyone complaining that there are backstory chapters written but this story is going on hiatus, those chapters do not _fit_ here and I haven't written up until they do. Sorry, just the way it is.**


	28. Goblet of Fire part 16

Harry had suspected that Snape's unusual fairness wouldn't last very long, especially after he mentioned selecting someone to test the antidots they were creating on. He was very glad, for that reason, when Colin Creevey knocked on the door, providing him with more time to try and plan his escape.

His plans were unneeded, however, as the boy informed Snape that he was supposed to take both Harry Potter and Allen Walker upstairs.

Snape did not look pleased, and Harry found himself hoping that it was important because he did not want to be stuck with him for another hour when he was in that kind of mood. He would have liked the discussion to go slightly differently, and Snape was absolutely furious when he finally let them go, even if it wasn't quite as bad as Harry had expected.

The three of them walked towards the appointed room in silence. Harry had thought that Colin would use the time to talk his ear off, since the boy had always been so much more excited about his fame than Harry himself had been, but when he saw the other boy sneaking glances at Allen he understood.

Something else occurred to Harry, during that long, silent, walk upstairs, and he wondered how he hadn't thought of it before. Allen was in Colin's year, the two were the same age and slept in the same dorm, Allen was supposed to be in Colin's classes. And Harry was forced to wonder if either of the duo had been suffering consequences behind closed doors for their sudden change in grade. While Colin seemed nice, Harry wouldn't have been surprised if there were a few people who had had some things to say about the arrangements.

Only to find out that the person who they thought was safe to pick on was a prophesised saviour.

And then they finally reached their destination and Harry would have taken any amount of time of silence if it would have kept him away from what came next just that little bit longer, even if they were already the last to arrive due to Snape putting up such a fuss and having to walk all the way up from the dungeons.

Bagman was the first to spot them, looking first cheerful and then seeming to get rather pale as he took in the almost predatory smile that was suddenly adorning Allen's face. As he explained to them what, exactly, they were there for he seemed to get progressively twitchier, Harry might have thought it from excitement except that the man wasn't as loud as he normally was and kept coughing after his eyes would drift over to Allen.

Eventually he brought up the _Daily Prophet_ , introducing Rita Skeeter as he did so.

'Maybe not _that_ small, Ludo,' Rita commented, her eyes almost hungry looking as she gazed at the Boy Who Lived and Destroyer of Time. Oh, what an opportunity this was.

Not that she was supposed to know who the Destroyer of Time was, not that she was supposed to know that Allen Walker was anything other than an underaged student who somehow ended up in this insane competition.

'I wonder if I could have a little word with these two before we start?' she commented idly, never looking away. 'The two youngest champions and all that, you know … to add a bit of colour?'

'Certainly!' the idiot replied. 'That is – if they have no objections?'

'Er-' was all Harry had time to get out before the woman was exclaiming in excitement and gripping his arm to try and steer him away.

Only to be stopped by Allen's own grip on Harry's other arm, firmly planted feet, and bright smile.

'Actually, Mr Bagman, as both Harry and I are under age neither you nor either of us can give that kind of permission without the knowledge and written approval of our legal Guardian. As I can see neither Sirius Black or my own Guardian present, nor have I seen such a letter, any interview performed now would be highly illegal, as you should know considering you work in the ministry.

'I also wonder, Miss Skeeter, where exactly you were intending to take dear Harry, as being left alone with a minor is hardly recommendable for someone such as yourself who enjoys the public light. It is also, again, illegal to interview a minor without another trusted adult present.

'I myself refuse to engage in any sort of interview with you, even if those conditions are met, unless it is conducted here, where I can call on these witnesses should there be any case of miss quotation that I might be required to take up with the ministry or your place of work.'

Silence filled the room as the three adults, champions, and Guards all stared at Allen after he had finished speaking. Rita Skeeter was looking incredibly put out, as was the person Harry assumed was a photographer, and Bagman had gone an alarming shade of white when Allen had made the comment about him working in the ministry. The other three champions were looking at Allen with something that might have been approval, underneath their shock, while of the exorcists Miranda looked confused, Lenelee looked similar to the champions, and Lavi had the look of someone that wanted to comment but wasn't sure what to say.

After what felt like hours, but once again probably wasn't actually that long, the silence was broken as Mr Crouch, the three Headmasters, and Mr Ollivander walked into the room.

'Are, good, we're all here,' Dumbledore commented, 'It seems we can begin. May I introduce Mr Ollivander? He will be checking your wands to ensure that they are in good condition before the tournament.'

And with that, the weighing of the wands had begun.

Allen was not happy, and rather concerned about just how many of his secrets were likely to be brought to light during this God damned tournament. He watched silently as first Fleur Delacour, then Cedric Diggory had their wands inspected. He absently noticed Harry fussing over his wand, and Flue's look, but didn't really pay it any mind. Then both Victor Krum and Harry had had their wand's weighted without incident, though Harry had looked nervous as his was handed over and Mr Ollivander was rather quiet during that particular wand inspection.

And then it was Allen's turn.

'Hmm … not one of mine, no … yes, eleven and a half inches … rather flexible … Acacia wood and … oh, oh no …' Mr Ollivander trailed off and Allen had to fight the urge to put his head in his hands and groan. It was difficult to keep his face even mildly innocent and confused.

'Is there a problem, Ollivander?' Dumbledore asked, the other judges and guards looking on in concern.

'Well, I would say there is, yes. You see, I am quite unable to test this wand.'

'What's that supposed to mean?' Mr Crouch all but demanded, behaving rather oddly.

'This wand contains innocence at its core, I am unable to use it to cast a spell, or even get a clear enough reading on it to determine what other substance is used alongside it.'

While Allen had expected the looks that now adorned the faces of those present, it didn't make him want to slam his head against a flat surface any less. The Judges showed shock and horror at the information, the champions looked confused, and Miss Skeeter looked like all her Christmases had come at once.

And the exorcists, well, they looked confused but for an entirely different reason.

His so-called friends didn't know a thing about wands, didn't know what they were made of or even what they were used for really, however they knew more about innocence than anyone else alive, with a few rather notable exceptions. While Miranda, bless her heart, didn't look like she particularly cared, both Lavi and Lenalee had a glint in their eyes that told Allen that the Order would be hearing about this through whatever means of communication they had.

Because they would always be loyal to that blasted organisation, and said blasted organisation seemed to love breaking the rules if they thought it would give them just that little bit more of an edge in the war. Those two weren't stupid, they knew that if the innocence in his arm were to be removed he would be missing that limb, a limb that was quite clearly still there, and it was a well-known fact that Cross was the only person to ever successfully use two innocence fragments, and he didn't really count.

No, there was now no way the Order would be able to resist trying to drag him back through time to them, no matter what warnings he and Kanda had tried to give them.

And suddenly the waiting silence was broken, and Allen was dragged from his thoughts.

'My, my, breaking all the rules, aren't we, Allen,' it was Miss Skeeter, of course, and Allen could practically see her drooling over the article she could write over that little titbit by itself, even without embellishments.

Interestingly, the room didn't break down into chaos like Allen expected, instead he was pleasantly surprised when both Dumbledore and Mr Crouch managed to take charge of the situation before it even had a of a chance to devolve into squabbling children.

'As distressing as this news is to us all, I really must insist that we allow it to be handled by the appropriate authorities, rather than making a mess of a situation that needs to be handled carefully.'

'Yes, Albus, you are quite right,' Mr Crouch put in before anyone else could try and argue. 'I shall contact the ministry immediately and see about getting the proper people present. I suppose the boy's family will have to be contacted as well, considering this _is_ something they would usually be held responsible for.'

'And I take it the ministry will also be responsible for keeping her in line?' Allen inquired, loath as he was to draw attention to himself in this situation, it would be a hundred times worse if that woman was allowed to run with a story.

'Well, yes,' Bagman stuttered, though most people in the room thought that he would have been better of keeping his mouth shut given a few other choice comments of his over the years. 'I am sure the ministry can provide a statement to the press on your behalf, but they have to be given something, I mean, the Ministry can't out right control the press, that would be immoral.'

'Actually,' Allen just about hissed, this man was an idiot, 'Both the Ministry _and_ the Press have the _moral_ duty to ensure that neither releases sensitive information in regard to a minor, something just about everyone here seems rather insistent on forgetting I _am_. There is also legislation that makes that _moral duty_ a legal requirement, and I would _hate_ to think what else might be turned up should the need for an investigation arise.'

He made sure to keep his eyes on all the adults in the room, and was surprised at just how many seemed to take his words as a personal threat. He knew that everyone had skeletons in the closet, but this was a _little_ excessive.

It also made him curious as just what bits of blackmail he had managed to miss. After all, he hated being in the dark.

At long last Dumbledore called an end to the proceedings, and Allen didn't think he was the only one that wished that both Bagman and the Skeeter woman had been denied the right to keep them all back for photos. It felt rather like they were misbehaving children being denied an early mark for lunch.

He did make sure, though, that neither of them were able to get their way when it came time to for the so called "individual shots" that Miss Skeeter had wanted, and both had gotten surprisingly subdued as he reminded them, once again, that there were actually _laws_ to protect both him and Harry and that investigations tended to turn up more than they were originally meant to.

Finally, the reporters had had their way and the five champions were free to go, Allen after being warned that it was likely that he was going to be summoned to the Headmasters office sometime later that night, and then Harry followed him down to dinner.

'How are you not in Slytherin?' Harry asked, but, unlike so many of their house, his words didn't carry the usual sting, instead they range with surprise, relief and gratitude. Then again, most people as shy as Harry probably _would_ be relieved to be spared what was likely to be a very unfair biased at the hands of that so-called reporter.

Allen just smiled, 'the same way you're not, at least, I would assume so.'

Harry snorted, somehow not surprised that the other knew that he had been considered for Slytherin. 'So, you flat out refused to go to the house because everyone said they were evil and if Draco Malfoy, who was so similar to your bully of cousin, got in then they must be right?' Harry said, careful to keep his tone light so that _hopefully_ the supposedly younger boy wouldn't call him out on his biased.

Allen laughed, Harry had to admit that it was a nice sound. It sounded genuine and made you want to join in just to revel in being happy.

'I think my winning argument had more to do with not giving Kanda the necessary free reign required that he might become a danger to the other students on account of his short temper, but yes, I think your argument works as well.'

And this time Harry joined Allen's laughter, and wished once again that the two of them were actually friends rather than this mockery they seemed to be maintaining. It was just _nice_ to be able to have these kinds of conversations without worrying about what others would think.

At last they had made it to the Great Hall and Allen made some excuse at the door and headed off to where ever he and Kanda had been eating. Harry took a quick look at the Gryffindor table, realised that Hermione was probably still in the hospital wing, and found himself racing after him, also making some excuse though both knew that that's exactly what it was. The two of them met up with Kanda on the way to where ever the hell it was the two of them had been eating.

Harry was rather interested in the house elves that maintained the kitchens, he would never admit it to _anyone,_ but he quite enjoyed the company of the little creatures and was rather pleased to see Doby again.

He would also never admit that he enjoyed his conversation with Allen, and that he probably found out more about the inner workings of the ministry in that one conversation than he had in the last four years since he had joined the wizarding world.

And maybe he didn't have the courage to ask them anything important about what they were or what their connection to the Noah family was, even when it came up in conversation as Allen revealed that they were the ones to fight for the laws that protected underage wizards and witches from the press soon after he had been labelled the Boy Who Lived. Maybe all he learned was that they, at least, had had the forethought, common sense, and sympathy to protect him from that at least until he was old enough to handle them himself.

Because as much as he didn't want to think about it, when at last they were called to the headmasters office and he returned to his dorm only to be ignored by his roommates, Harry had to admit that currently they were the best friends he had, and he didn't want to lose that to something as simple as asking the wrong questions.

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	29. Goblet of Fire part 17

Allen wasn't surprised at the crowd that had taken up residence in the Headmaster's office in preparation for this meeting, he also wasn't surprised that the summons had called for Kanda as well and instead kept his emotions stuck firmly on "grateful" when it came to his presence.

He would like to say that he was surprised that the Exorcists hadn't managed to find a way in, but he knew that they were more likely to be making a report to their own supervisors, which would be a lot more damaging in the long run.

Dumbledore was obviously present, as their Headmaster and as it was his office. Ollivander was there to offer his expertise on wands and as the person who had identified the problem, and was grouped together with Crouch, Bagman, and Madam Maxime as the required witnesses to both the discovery and the meeting. The representatives from the Ministry included Cornelius Fudge – the Minister, Kingsley Shacklebolt – Auror currently acting as body guard, Nymphadora Tonks – another Auror although still in her last year of training, Madam Bones – head of the law department, and a kind looking woman who was probably from the wizarding equivalent of child services, given how old he and Kanda appeared to be.

Minister Fudge did not look happy, Allen noted, and unfortunately both boys had an idea of _why_ given what they knew of his personality. This would be the second investigation involving Allen and infringements on the law, even if neither could be labelled legally as his fault, in in just over the same number of weeks. With the first one causing so much trouble with a full investigation into the ministry and public outrage that had occurred when it was announced, the man would likely to have preferred for the investigation to have taken place at the ministry, his supposed place of power, and possibly in one of the many interrogation rooms that were there. Fudge's request would have been denied on two very important accounts, one was that he was a child attending school during a school term and wasn't supposed to leave the grounds outside of a medical emergency or legal action likely to result in expulsion.

The second, more important, reason was that due to his age this incident could in no way be attributed to his actions, and instead the situations in which this was likely to result to a problematic upbringing that had to be treated with the upmost delicacy. This would also be the main reason for the child services.

Despite the number of people with in the room, there was no sign that the two of them had interrupted any form of conversation that may have been occurring between the two groups. The office had been oddly silent and that, unfortunately, highlighted just how big a deal these people considered this to be.

'Right,' Fudge said as soon as the two thirteen-year-olds had entered the room, 'We're all here, now we can finally get this investigation started.'

'Actually,' Madam Bones cut in with a steel in her eyes, 'we are not all here and so we may not get started. By our own laws it is illegal to question a minor without the presence of their legal guardian or legal representation appointed by said guardian. The only time this Law may be bypassed is if the minor themselves requests their absence or it recommended by the child services witch, who is also legally required to be present. Surely, Minister, you remember this?'

Allen tried not to smile, he really liked Madam Bones, and had to wonder if it would still be age appropriate to giggle at the look on Fudges face.

'While we wait, however, it may be relevant to check the actual … need for Mr Kanda to be present,' Crouch spoke up after the silence had lasted for several seconds. 'After all, Allen Walker is the only one of he two children that has been confirmed to have a wand containing Innocence, and it is only because the Ministry records say that the two boys live together that he was summoned as well, due to the chance that whatever circumstances had placed Mr Walker in such danger may have affected him in the process.

'If, by chance, Mr Kanda does not have a wand containing Innocence then this … meeting would be in no way affected by his presence, and he should be allowed to continue doing whatever it is children his age are normally doing at this time of night.'

While Allen had recently discovered a new level of fondness for Madam Bones, Kanda was experiencing a growing hatred for the Barty Crouch Senior, especially after he was forced to remember his actions during the chaos of the Quidditch World Cup.

None of the adults protested, though Dumbledore at least looked rather irritated by Crouch's treatment of his students, and Mr Ollivander kindly took Kanda's wand and started to examine it.

'Let's see here … seems to have been the same maker as Mr Walker's though I still do not recognise the signature … thirteen inches … rather ridged … cherry wood … and … yes, yes, this wand also contains Innocence. I am able to get a reading from the core this time, though I am not exactly sure what to do with the result…' everyone stared at the old wand maker as he trailed off, lost in thought though still able to bounce slightly at the idea of finding something new about the craft he loved.

'The result, Ollivander?' Bagman tried to drag the man's mind back to the present as he was overcome by his own curiosity.

'Oh? Yes, the result for the core, this wand is one of the rare few that employ the use of two cores, the blood and hair of the same creature, though which one I am afraid I cannot say, I do not recognise the species,' silence filled the room before Madam bones dragged their attention away from the peculiarity of the boy's wand and back to the matter at hand. She, at least, understood that that probably shouldn't have needed to be said allowed, and that there was a small matter of privacy that everyone seemed to determine to trample on even more than the rather large amount that was absolutely necessary for this investigation.

'Well, as the boy's wand contains Innocence, as that was the original reason for that test, he shall be remaining here in order to clear up any details as to how the two of them came by such wands, assuming it was within a similar incident. Now we shall simply have to wait until the boys' representation arrives before we can clear up this situation.'

They did not have to wait long at all before the Headmaster's Floo glowed green and a warm, rich, voice drifted out to greet them as the man soon followed.

'Sorry I am late,' hands gently brushed the soot of the top hat _someone_ had made him wear, 'I had to finish up something at the office. Now, may I enquire as to why the ministry felt the need to summon me to Headmaster's office in Hogwarts?'

The office was silent at his arrival, and Fudge was now looking positively green as the identity of the man who had just arrived finally caught up with him, and the realisation of just how much trouble the ministry was in after all the fiascos that kept cropping up in relation to Allen Walker if he had such a clear connection to _them_.

Thankfully, the child services witch had been able to keep her composer and brought everyone else back to the present. 'I take it you're the legal guardian for these two boys?' her voice was calm and cool, lacking judgement but also warmth.

There was no need for introductions and exchanging names, everyone knew who this man was, and it was likely he knew all of them on sight.

'Heaven's no,' the man chuckled, 'however, I have been appointed to represent their guardian and deal with all legal aspects of their welfare, so I suppose the term would be accurate enough in this situation.'

Fudged coughed, chocking on air as he tried to figure out if that was better or worst. There was a connection here, one that didn't seem to match up with any of the records they had on hand at the Ministry, and this was not a family you messed with willingly.

'Well then,' Madam Bones started once it became clear the Fudge was in no way capable of doing so, she despised her Minister's incompetence sometimes, 'as the two minors now have a legal representation we may now proceed with the investigation.

'Earlier today it was discovered that the Hogwarts student Allen Walker was in possession of a wand that contained Innocence, due to his close association with Allen, Yuu Kanda was also investigated as a possible person of interest and it was soon confirmed to also be in possession of an Innocence wand. As all in the room should know, it is illegal for any person who is not over seventeen, and therefore hasn't reached their majority, to attempt to use any wand containing this substance, limited in existence though they are.

'As the legal representation for their guardian, I wonder if you would be able to shed some light on the situation that has lead to such a dangerous occurrence, as it threatened the lives of these two children?' her question was directed towards the late comer, but for some reason she couldn't bring herself to say his name, it just felt a little too … accusatory, not that that was something she normally worried about.

'I am afraid not. As I am sure it says in the records, Mr Walker and Mr Kanda are orphans, adopted at the age of nine, and they were already in possession of these wands when they were found, though I am under the impression they were confiscated up until the time there were to attend school, as is the law.' The man's voice was smooth and rich like honey, luring them in and keeping them trapped.

'Well boys,' Fudge finally seemed to have found his voice, though a few people in the room wished he hadn't, 'care to explain how you came into possession of such dangerous contraband?'

Allen frowned, knowing that what Fudge had said wasn't strictly correct but not really able to speak up. 'They were just random sticks we picked up as kids to play with. They made us feel warm, so we kept them. It wasn't until our guardian picked us up that we even knew what they were, let alone how dangerous even a normal wand could have been in the hands of someone our age. All we knew about magic was that it was the stuff of fairy tales and assumed the things were someone else's abandoned toys.'

The adults continued the discussion for a little longer, unwilling to believe that such a potentially life-threatening event had occurred as a coincidence, but eventually they had to accept it and Allen, Kanda and their "legal representation" were allowed to leave.

Eventually everyone else had trickled out, until all that remained was very old and tired Headmaster, wondering what on earth he had to do in order to ensure the safety of his students.

At the same time as Dumbledore was contemplating his limitations when it came to trying to protect people, Nymphadora Tonks was giving in to her curiosity over what on earth she had just seen as she and her partner sat together to write their reports.

'Hey, Kingsley, what was all that about any way? How can having a wand be dangerous and illegal, and yet the person who has it not get into trouble?'

Kinsley tried to withhold his sigh at her lack of knowledge and dislike of silence, though she was a good kid, sometimes he wished she had been given to just about anyone else for her last year of training.

'How much of History of Magic do you remember? The Theory of the Origin or the History of Wand Making?' he asked with limited patience.

'Remember the stuff about the Origin, fourth year lesson maybe but it was the only thing that Binns didn't manage to bore the hell out of. Wand Making history was Newts level, I didn't need it to become an Auror so I didn't bother taking it.'

Kinsley repressed a snort, it would have been undignified. 'Innocence is a substance that Wizards and Witches have yet to fully understand, despite records of it already being present around the time of the Origin and continued research into it by the Department of Mysteries for about as long as that department has existed. While not a lot is known about it, what they do know is that it is capable of storing, amplifying, and channelling magic, it is semi-sentient, most likely because of it's connection to magic, and that rumour has it that it might be a direct derivative of the original substance used by the Origin.'

Tonks was wide eyed and hanging on to his every word, he refused to admit to enjoying the feeling. 'The reason this is connected into wand history is because during the 1600s, a wand maker decided to try combining it with wands to increase their power. He found that, while it refused to work as a core, fragments of crystals could be used with a core to increase power, with some terrifyingly powerful results.

'Unfortunately, there was a major drawback, one that became apparent as soon as he first tried to sell his creation. A wand chooses the wizard, we all know this, but wands will sometimes work with the wrong master even if they don't work as well. Innocence also, unfortunately, chooses its master, but unlike regular wands they will _kill_ someone who tries to use them if they have not been chosen.'

Tonks gaped at him, horror in her eyes and her skin taking on a greenish tinge. 'It, it _kills_ them? How?'

'It … explodes, destroying wand and wizard leaving just the fragment as a reminder.'

'Why would … why would anyone want to use a wand that could kill them?' her voice was quiet, so very different from her normally loud personality. Kinsley wondered if she was thinking about the two _children_ they had just seen and the fact that they could have easily died so young.

'Power,' another Auror spoke up from where he had been listening. 'While there was a chance of death, the power granted by and innocence wand was phenomenal, it increased even the most basic charms to about ten times their normal strength. I think you underestimate just what people were willing to risk in order to gain that kind of advantage.'

 _People like you?_ The thought was there but neither voiced it.

'Of course, once this danger was found the laws quickly changed in order to accommodate it, though not quickly enough according to some. 1646, three years after their discovery, it was mad illegal for anyone under the age of seventeen to attempt to use an Innocence wand, 1689 it was made compulsory that all Innocent wands had to be marked and identified so that people couldn't use them by accident. 1737 the creation of new Innocent wands was outlawed, ensuring that their number could only decrease with each failed use with nothing to replace them,' Kingsley pointed out, not quite cutting the other person out of the conversation but not including them either. 'These days, most of the remaining wands with Innocence are found in display cases in old pure-blood homes with signs bragging about whichever family member actually managed to use it. They are now more about prestige than use.'

Tonks tilted her head, absorbing all that she had just learned, before nodding and going back to her report now that she actually understood what had been going on at the time.

And later that night, when her shift finally ended, she would join everyone else that had been present in the headmaster's office that for the investigation in curling up in their bed and wondering just _how_ two boys could have possibly picked up such dangerous objects by pure _chance_ and lived to tell the tale.

And Garrick Ollivander would sit back and stare at his merchandise and consider the wandmakers secret he had sworn to uphold despite the fact that even now it was putting children at risk.

Because there were two Innocence wands at Hogwarts, and just because they hadn't killed their masters _yet_ , didn't mean they wouldn't.

Because, though it had never been recorded, some wizards had lost favour with their wands, and the resulting explosions had been _horrendous_.

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	30. Goblet of Fire part 18

The article from Rita Skeeter had been released a mere two days after the so-called interview, Harry had to wonder how she managed to make even the absence of a comment into a scandal, though he refused to be impressed by her skills.

Harry had been portrayed as a shy and meek child that had allowed another student to order him around, citing his entrance in the tournament as a cry for attention and help that had backfired and questioning Sirius parenting skills. Harry just counted himself lucky that she hadn't managed to dig up anything on the Dursleys, though Allen later informed him she wouldn't have been allowed to print it even if she had.

Harry could tell by reading the article that Rita Skeeter had taken a strong dislike to the white-haired child, which wasn't that surprising given how he had shot her down and threatened all the adults in the room with an enquiry if they had continued to let her run loose.

Where as Harry had been made to look rather week and foolish, Allen had been made to look conceited and demanding, quoted at one stage to "have demanded special consideration from the ministry that was not his due" and other such rot. She also made mention of him "showing a willingness to break rules and laws alike," and "facing official enquires once his participation in the tournament was no longer mandatory" which had the rest of the school treating Allen and Kanda even colder than they had before, making Harry's treatment seem almost welcoming in comparison.

Harry was almost Jealous of the other champions and their lack of significant mention when compared to his section which managed to drag even Hermione's name through the mud, and really wished they could have traded. He had said as much within the hearing of Cedric Diggory, and had received strange glances from him ever since, though Krum who seemed to have also over heard occasionally looked at him with understanding.

In the backlash from both the article and his forced participation of the tournament, Harry was exceedingly grateful for his regular correspondence with Sirius, which included the occasional letter from Dudley even if Harry wasn't quite sure _how_ his cousin was managing to keep in touch with the wizarding world from his muggle school, and his new friendship with Allen and Kanda. Sometimes it felt like those two things were all that was keeping him sane.

The letters seemed to alternate between supportive and begging him to be careful, and the occasional howler telling him just how long he was going to grounded for when he got back. The Howlers also often used the Article as a subject of a lot of cursing, much to Harry's pleasure, though he worried about what it would do to Sirius's reputation.

There had also been the odd threat to pull him out of Hogwarts the next year, on account of his forced participation and that Sirius had managed to find out just _how_ he had spent his first two years of school. Part of Harry wanted to argue, part of him wondered if Sirius was right.

His detention with Malfoy and Snape had taken place the same day the Article had come out, and Harry was sure he would have been subjected to a lot of taunting about its contents if Malfoy hadn't still been in shock over the fact that _he_ had been given a detention, and by his head of house no less.

As the next two weeks progressed, Harry was forced several times to truly _look_ at the friendships he had thought he'd made and re-evaluate them rather harshly.

Ron still wasn't talking to him, and it hurt Harry more than he wanted to admit, it also left him confused because it meant that all those weeks ago when Allen had told him to be careful about who to trust he had had a point, and that hurt even more. Because Harry didn't think he would ever be able to forgive Ron for just standing there as the Slytherins made snide comments about him and Hermione, or the snide comments of his own to Seamus and Dean when he thought Harry wouldn't hear.

Hermione spent most of her time divided between the two of them, though with Harry's instance that she look after Ron and her truce with Allen being uneasy at best, his time with her seemed to be limited to studying in the library. She also seemed insistent that the two of them should make up, that just because Harry might _miss_ him Harry should forgive the bastard for all his faults and welcome him back like nothing had ever happened, despite the fact that it was _Ron_ who wasn't talking to Harry and then calling him a liar, both behind his back and to his face.

If he was honest with himself, it made him question her, that she was so willing to force him to forgive Ron when it wasn't her he had wronged. Sometimes he secretly wished she would just join him in calling his ex-best friend a bastard and give up on him as well, but that was petty, and he shouldn't want that, but he did and that him feel even worst.

The Guards, now that they actually had to fulfil the roles they were hired for, were often busy and unable to spend much time with him anymore. At least, that was the logical explanation, but sometimes Harry wondered if there wasn't something else to it.

He had been forced to recognise, over the summer, that his ability to read people, situations, and motivation had been severally stunted during his childhood with the Dursleys and the forced isolation from anyone his age that had resulted. However, with Sirius as a tutor he had proved a quick study in the art of seeing more of what was going on in the world around him.

Of course, that also meant that he was second guessing every conclusion he came to about people, including the guards and their sudden case of being busy.

Harry suspected they were avoiding him, or more accurately, he suspected that they were avoiding Allen and Kanda who he spent most of his time with. If asked, he couldn't point to any one thing, but when they were together, the five of them seemed to tense up, and it never lasted very long. No one made excuses to get away, no one flinched when the others' names were mentioned, and yet getting them in the same room for more than five minutes, let alone getting them to have a conversation, just seemed to be an impossibility.

It could have just been that they were busy, Harry knew for a fact that that was true, but there was also something about the way that Allen and Kanda were also acting when around each other that had Harry thinking there was something more to it than that.

Then again, if he was going off what Sirius had taught him, then Krum had feeling for Hermione and Ron was about to have something else to be jealous about, so he wasn't sure how much he trusted this new found "instinct" for people.

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The Hogsmeade trip was the weekend before the first task, and Allen honestly wasn't sure how to go about it. On one hand, it was the first time he and Kanda could go to on the trip with the blessing of the teachers, rather than behind their back. The counter side of that was that the student body wasn't exactly happy with him, or Kanda by association. Allen wished, more than he would ever admit to, that he could go to all the popular date sites with Kanda holding his hand without being looked at strangely. He wished he really was thirteen and innocent and could act like a normal teenager, awkwardness with feelings and uneven friendships included.

He wished he could hide Harry Potter, a boy who was so like so many of the exorcists with the weight of the world crushing their shoulders when they shouldn't have had to worried about anything more than the cute person sitting next to them during class, and hide him under his wings. He wished he could take him with them to one of the pubs to celebrate the weekend, without the pressure of the first task looming when the day was eventually over.

He wished he could treat him like the child he was, and Allen and Kanda never could have been.

He had so many wishes, all of them impossible, but that wouldn't change anything, because he had tried before and there were somethings that he just could not alter.

And absolutely _none_ of that helped him try and figure out what they were going to do that weekend.

'Let's just go, Moyashi,' Kanda commented from where he was lying next to him on the bed, hidden in the Room of Requirements as they avoided their roommates. 'We had plans, we had things planned out to the stage of what we did this weekend mattered, but then the Ministry screwed the fuck up and our so called "friends" arrived and those kinds of strategies stopped mattering.'

Allen fell back into the bed with a huff, keeping a distance between them that hadn't existed in a long time. 'I know our plans don't matter anymore, doesn't mean that I can't _try_ and stop things from spiralling out of control more than they already are.'

'Moyashi, you know he will probably go to Three Broomsticks at some stage, you know he will most likely go under that cloak of his to try and avoid the hassle he as been getting from the other students. We go, we bump into them, you can talk and fucking coddle him like you want to, and then we just do what we want before coming back here. Deal with it being simple and stop fussing.'

Kanda narrowed his eyes at the Moyashi, watching quietly as one of the only two people he had ever loved, would gladly die for if he thought it would change things for the better, stared at the canopy of the bed they were sleeping in and refused to relax and sleep. He had been tense since those people had arrived, twisting himself into more and more nots trying to accomplish something that just wasn't possible.

Kanda was almost helpless as Allen pulled away, both physically and emotionally, in fear of something he probably didn't even understand, even at his age. It was something that had been ingrained in him over and over again, something that had carried over to every so called "mask", and something that specific people brought out in spades, and left a wreck in their wake when they did.

He would have to watch the Moyashi, keep an eye on him see if things got better, because if they didn't change soon, Kanda would have to do something, and he wouldn't be gentle about it.

And so it was that they found themselves leaving Hogwarts on Saturday with Allen wishing he could cast a Disillusionment charm without it bring even _more_ attention to themselves.

They were going to follow Kanda's plan, they would drift around a few of the shops, stopping here and there and letting people see them while hopefully avoiding that bitch reporter before wondering into the Three Broomsticks at the same time Harry and Hermione had lunch and make sure that Harry wasn't being harassed too badly, maybe give him some advice on how to avoid adoring (or not so adoring) fans, and then leave to hang around in the forests and near the Shrieking Shack and have some time to themselves. It actually surprised them, though Kanda at least wouldn't admit it, that Harry had been the one to suggest that they could hide in the Shack together without anyone bothering them now that people were actually paying attention to them. He had even offered to miss direct the Guards, students or teachers on the off chance that someone started asking after them.

Kanda, himself, knew that Allen was developing a need to protect and slightly coddle the younger boy purely for the sake of how much he saw himself in him. Harry was a new prophesised savour, Allen could relate, but it had never occurred to him that Harry might also find himself growing attached to a kindred spirit, even if he didn't know just how similar they were yet. The two had predicted that the "Golden Trio" might attempt to be friends to ferret out secrets, Harry had been considered for Slytherin after all, but he had always assumed that his suspicion of them would prevent him from building up anything sincerer than that, at least not until the truth had come out.

They hadn't considered the effect of the unpredicted fifth name coming out of the goblet.

Harry was always going to be treated like scum for events beyond his control, that was just the effect of his name, his legend, and the reputation his father had left. If "The Destroyer of Time" hadn't been called they would have been an impartial group offering support from the shadows and not much thought about after that, other than their obvious suspicion, but that wasn't to be. Now Allen was a kindred spirit being turned on by the whole school, even more alone than Harry himself, and it was impossible for a bond not to have formed out of that.

So, they shouldn't have been surprised when the boy offered to help them get some alone time to be themselves the weekend before they were all put through the ringer of the first task, but as Allen quite often said, they were both Baka, and so they didn't see it coming at all.

Another thing they should have seen coming was having to dodge Skeeter less than five minutes after arriving at the village, but as Allen said, Baka.

They also should have predicted, given their bad luck and Kanda's own words before the drawing of the names, for things to go spiralling from there.

Skeeter, despite them not having any proof that she had seen them, was persistent. They would just move away only to look back and see the menace once again heading straight towards them. Like this, they were slowly herded closer to the outskirts of town, before the area was secluded enough that even she couldn't find a reason to follow them there without giving away that she was doing so or transforming into her Animagus.

And that was when the real trouble started.

Like shadows they shifted around them, using a spell of some kind that was likely highly illegal, and because they had to play a roll the two third years had to pretend to shift nervously and move away, getting closer and closer to the tree line and further and further away from any potential help. They were, effectively, trapped by their own set limits they needed to follow in order to prevent the events that would follow maybe year in the future. They could reveal their hand, but then they would have to kill them or mess with their memories and that would cause even more problems.

Eventually they were far enough into the forest that the shadows revealed themselves to be a combination of rather rich aristocrats and the grubby hired thugs that had likely been hired to do any dirty work.

Somehow, Allen and Kanda were certain they were going to miss lunch.


	31. Goblet of Fire part 19

**An: things in real life have gotten very complicated for me recently, and so any writing or posting that I do in the near future will be inconsistent at best. I have three chapters of this pre-written that I will post today but I** _can not_ **guarantee when I will be able to get back to this. Sorry.**

The ring leader, the one that obviously held the most money and had used it to call all the shots, stepped forward with what would be a pleasant smile on his face if not for the company he was currently keeping.

'Sorry about this, boys, it's not how I usually choose to run business but then these are some rather unusual circumstances.

'You see, I don't know you. Oh, I have a name and the fact that you are apparently participating and meddling in events for beyond what someone of your … age could possibly understand, but your file at the ministry is surprisingly blank, even for someone with my contacts, and so I don't actually know how to best … deal with your involvement.'

While the man was talking, Allen was taking note of many of the hereditary features that inbreeding had caused to be so pronounced in the different family lines in wizarding society. The man was a Nott, not the head of the family but someone with standing, and obvious access to the family fortunes. This would be useful information for when they were eventually able to retaliate for whatever was about to follow

'Like others of my standing, I decided that this Tournament would be something interesting to make a bit pocket change on, no huge amount but probably considered quite substantial to someone like you, and like any good investor I need to ensure that my dealings are not threatened by any rouge elements.

'Now this is where the problem lies. I don't know you, I don't know your abilities well enough to bet money on you, but nor can I guarantee that you are not skilled enough to pull the underdog. So, like any good investor, I chose the safest path of eliminating the rouge element. I will bet on someone I know would be likely to win were you not involved and ensure that you are in no state to threaten their position.

'So, you understand, this is nothing personal, this is just the well-deserved result of messing in an adult's game. Gentlemen! I believe it's your turn.'

The man's words were obviously a signal, because at the end of his speech his hired muscle made a move towards the two boys who couldn't appear more than thirteen or fourteen. He had chosen well, none of these lesser wizards would hesitate to deal with brats, not with the amount of money he was offering as compensations. It's not like anyone would miss two orphaned bastards if they accidentally went too far, only the white haired one had been his target but as it was impossible to separate them the other would just have to suffer the consequences of poorly made decisions when it come to friendship.

Wands were lifted and spells were cast, and the two boys dived head first into the snow, rolling away from the danger. For a moment the man regretted his course of action, they might had done well in the competitions and the odds for betting on them would have been immense, but he was an investor and those kinds of risks rarely paid off, so his regret was short lived.

The men he had hired were good, he had hired them before, so he knew their skill set, and he hadn't expected them to have so much trouble with two third years. The boys hadn't even pulled out their wands, simply dodging and diving and avoiding the spell fire even as one goon pulled the self-sacrificing play to restrain one and ended up taking the others curse with no result to show for it.

They couldn't use the killing cures, Death was not the aim and they were too close to the school's wards to chance it, so the boys were just going to get a little lesson beaten into them, with no relief from their suffering anytime soon. As the deadly game of curse tag continued, however, the more brutal their beating was likely to be. These men were professionals, and they didn't approve of being made a mockery of. Minuets were passing and as they did plans to leave the boys in such a state that they "accidently didn't make it" before someone found them. Death via blood loss and hypothermia was something to be scared of if you were still conscious. Their employer just wanted to teach them a lesson, but these men now wanted to walk away laughing as these children were left to choke on their own blood.

It as with these thoughts in mind that one of the men, a muggle born that had done well for himself given the stigma that followed his chosen profession, decided to switch to physical tactics. They were too quick for curses, but while distracted by a hideous purple light the white haired one passed just close enough for him to reach out and snag his collar, jerking back and almost strangling him in the process.

The idea would have been a good one, if not for the snake that refused to let the two humans leave the dormitories if she wasn't hidden under her Master's cloths.

The man had barely fraction of a second for the smugness to register on his face before Maria was lunging from her warm hiding place and sinking her fangs into his flesh. She was created from magic, her poison was lethal and magic enhanced, hardly had she latched on than the man who had dared to threaten her master was screaming in agony to rival the Cruciatus curse, before the pain was too much to deal with and the poison worked with it to stop his heart.

Her prey was dead, but he had friends, and as he fell back she didn't have time to disengage her fangs and so her body was pulled with him, away from the protective embrace of her Master.

The shock of her actions didn't freeze all, and before most of the participants had time to register what had happened one of the smelly ones had her body squeezed between his too hot hands and her own agony distracted her from what he was saying.

Allen watched in horror as Maria killed his assailant, no matter how much time passed death was never something he could easily accept, but the horror increased as she slipped from his reach. He couldn't just grab her as she flew from his clothing, a grip hard enough to stop her would also hurt her, and his distraction from the fight by the actions of his over-protective familiar would cost him greatly. He forgot just how close some of these men were until one of them had Maria in a strangle hold and his head was full of her screaming.

Kanda watched Allen freeze. He wanted to move, to protect his Moyashi, but he was a child and any acts to insinuate otherwise would be disastrous. These people were probably ordered to leave them alive, though if these thugs still planned to do so was another matter, but if Allen or Kanda acted then they wouldn't have the same choice, and they didn't want to stoop to the level of common criminals. It didn't help that, with Allen's ability to understand, what to these people were senseless hisses to him were cries for help, cries that would be very distracting from pretty much all else when it came to someone like the Moyashi.

And so, with Maria in their hold the two children held still as the beasts around them finally captured them and threw them to the ground.

'Just a bunch of brats after all,' the bastard holding Maria sneered. 'Threaten a useless pet and suddenly they act their age.'

Kanda new, in that moment, that there was no way that these people had ever been loyal to the so-called Dark Lord more than a decade ago, even Nott was probably some forgotten Ravenclaw rather than a true worshiper like his personality would otherwise suggest. Anyone who had followed that person wouldn't truly be able to threaten or harm a snake, the symbolism to that man would be too much for them to truly act. Instead these people truly were the scum of the scum, following a trail of money and loyalty only to silver and gold.

As screwed up as Voldemort and his bunch of Death Eaters were, at least most of the truly faithful had actually had a cause to fight for that was steeped in personal gain.

Allen, in the part of his brain that was not taken up by Maria's suffering, was coming to a similar conclusion as Kanda, but where Kanda felt disgust, Allen felt only pity. How sad must it be for a person to be so corrupted that even the existence of a familiar was now something only to be used to increase another's suffering rather than the sacred bond that it used to be.

And that was another point that proved that these people had never been dedicated to the dark cause, because Tom Riddle never would have allowed such a sacred thing as Familiar bonds to be ignored.

Familiars were different to Pet's something even Hogwarts seemed to have forgotten in the introduction letter was anything to go by. A pet was animal that was reliant on a human for care, there might be some form or affection on both individuals behalf, it is hard to tell with ordinary animals, but that was the extent of the bond.

A Familiar was an animal that connected to a magical being, usually a witch or wizard but not always, using their own magic and spells passed down their own race to forge a bond the understanding of which had long been lost to time. A Familiar was a magical creature that had chosen to recognize another as being worthy of being their "Master", someone they will support and protect in ways that were not always understood. The selection criteria was purely to the Familiars discretion, but the bond and it's results were not something that could be ignored and true Familiars and their chosen had once been revered, no matter what side of a war you were on, and in may cases Voldemort was to respected himself, seeing as the only Familiars that had died by his action had all been unfortunate accidents.

This man, he was truly despicable and disgrace to his once proud people if he could not tell the difference and would threaten one harm because of it.

Maria was Allen's Familiar, she had chosen to connect her magic to his in such a way as to preserve her own life for the sake of helping to protect Allen's. It was also one of the reasons her distress was affecting him to such a degree. It didn't help that his casual disregard for the animal was being brushed over by a person they suspected to be a pure blood Noble, his very culture disrespected, and he continued on in such a manner all for money. Allen and Kanda were "orphans", but they knew, respected, and held to the original culture and beliefs of their "people".

It would be rather strange if they didn't.

So, even as they were forced to limit their strengths in order to continue passing as children when Albus now knew that they were so much more, it was no longer the only factor keeping them contained. The truth was that the trampling of their beliefs by one of the people that was meant to be upholding them had them frozen in a grip so much stronger. Even at their age and with their circumstances the depravity of humans when money was introduced was not something they would ever be used to, no matter how Kanda may have acted once upon a time. The years with his Moyashi had softened him, and with their current situation and the prophecies coming into play it might be a good idea to throw away such idealistic notions if he wanted to get the other out of the coming mess intact.

Of course, such realisations and resolutions would have to wait until later. They were now restrained anyway, and unless they wanted to bring half the forest down their strength didn't matter, and they were on thin ice with the ministry anyway due to Fudges incompetence, the man would likely see them in Azkaban just to stop them from bringing up so many week points of the ministry and proving how corrupt they were.

Though it had felt like years with their own helplessness and Maria crying out in pain, it was only seconds later that the curses started falling. Ones for breaking bones and rupturing skin, a nasty one for boiling blood but isolated to a single area to prevent death from ending their suffering, these people would take revenge on _underage students_ for a perceived slight that had never really existed except in their own minds.

Unknown to them they were currently signing their death warrants with their own blood. Certain people would hear about this, and they would not stand for such actions.

For now, though, they took out their anger on the helpless children beneath them, until the curses ran out and some decided to resort to the muggle means of kicking and hitting until all movement went still.

Kanda, early on and through out the beating while he still had strength, had tried to move himself so that he could shield his Moyashi with his own body. His efforts had caused nothing but laughter and for his head to be kicked back as they forced him further away and then held him so that he had to watch. Their own wands had been taken when they were first restrained, snapped and tossed away as if they meant nothing. Another action that spat in the face of what should be their very being.

At long last, the assault stopped, and the man who held Maria just laughed as he looked down at the blood splattered snow around what many people would consider to be too small bodies. He hadn't participated, instead he had simply kept the snake in his grip so that it could not bite, breaking its bones and unknowingly causing it to scream every time it looked like one of the boys might be considering trying something.

Now he had no more use for such a useless reptile.

With a final smirk he gripped its head, being careful of the fangs, and ripped and twisted, putting a final, abrupt, end to its pained shrieks even as its body continued to writhe in death throws, something that would continue for many hours to come.

It didn't matter if he had a hostage, after all, when the boys were so close to death themselves.

And like they had arrived, they faded back into the shadows, ridiculously pleased with their handy work.

Silence settled, the only sound the shifting snow as the body that had once been Maria continued to wiggle despite its broken vertebra and obviously absent head.

Hours or minutes later, in the silence it was hard to tell, Kanda started to move.

Cracks filled the clearing as his superior healing, the only gift of the Order he was thankful for, kicked in. Shaking arms pushed him up as he coughed and hacked the blood out of his lungs as a gory mess, before he was able to stumble to his feet and walk over the still prone white-haired figure that owned his heart.

Realistically, he knew it took more than that to stop Allen, but still he feared and just because he would survive did not mean that Kanda was happy about the amount of pain, he would be in.

A hand on his shoulder revealed him to be shaking with sobs, and when he dragged himself, with Kanda's help, over to the broken body of his familiar he let the pain and rage swell through him to be released in a heart-breaking scream.

For an hour they sat like that, Allen clutching the poor serpent as Kanda in turn cradled him. Even to himself he couldn't justify much more, he had, after all, witnessed the death of friends and family on mass once before, but they had been people that had at least had a fighting chance, this was nothing more than proof of his own weakness.

And they wanted him to save them all?

At long last Allen was able to pull himself together enough that Kanda was able to grab the remains of their wands and get them to stumbled back towards the school, their wounds considered superficial when compared to some of the things they had lived through and were back in the room of requirements before most had finished their lunch. While the horror of the event had made it drag on, even with Allen's grieving it hadn't lasted more than a few hours and they had arrived early in an effort to avoid the crowds, how that plan had backfired.

The room supplied what they needed to both treat their own wounds and prepare a proper send off for Maria. Created of magic maybe, but she had been an intelligent creature in her own right.

Unfortunately, tomorrow would arrive eventually, and as a Sunday they had agreed to meet up with Harry and lament the last two days before the tournament. The weekend wasn't over yet, and Kanda had an idea that it wasn't going to get any better.

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	32. Goblet of Fire part 20

Harry saw Allen and Kanda arrive at breakfast on Sunday and his heart lurched. Realistically, he knew that there was no way that Allen was only thirteen, but he still looked it and the image of him facing a _dragon_ had him concurring full heartedly with his statement about the idiocy of whoever had entered him into the tournament, he really hoped they caught the bastard soon.

Allen looked sick, sick and hurt in a way that Harry couldn't really describe. He didn't think it had anything to do with Kanda, the boy was still walking close behind him even if the distance seemed to be growing by the day, but he couldn't be sure since Sirius still said he needed to work on learning how to read people correctly.

It could be the first task, Harry suspected that he must look pretty similar, actually, at the idea of what these people wanted them to participate in, but Allen didn't know about the dragons as far as he knew.

Allen didn't know about the dragons, and neither did Cedric.

Shit.

Eventually they all finished eating breakfast, Allen still looking sick and Harry having eaten barely anything, and started to go for a walk around the lake. Part of Harry just wanted to burst into an explanation of what had happened the night before, tell Allen so that he could be on the same page as the other champions, but he also knew that Allen seemed to have a thing about rules when it came to the tournament. It wouldn't surprise Harry if Allen intended to stick to the letter of the rules for the Tournament just to tempt fate and drive home the possible outcome of this farce to whoever had entered him.

'So,' he stated once they were outside of hearing range of just about anyone else, 'Due to events last night, I may have stumbled onto what they were planning for the First Task on Tuesday.'

'Don't tell us,' Bingo, 'If I have to participate anyway may as well have as much fun as possible and actually walk into the thing blind like they intend.' … not the reasoning he had anticipated.

'You sure? I suspect at least Victor Krum and Fleur Delacour already know, since both their headmasters where in the same area as me.' Harry pointed out, watching as Hermione was practically glaring at him for not telling her what was going on yet, or possibly for cheating on what could be considered a test, oh well, they would both find out once Allen and Kanda decided on what they would be doing.

'As I said, no fun in already knowing, then I miss out on the pleasure of having to practice thinking on my feet.' Allen smiled as he said it, but again there was something behind his eyes that had Harry suddenly on edge.

'Is everything okay?' everyone looked at him and he blushed. Yeah, that might have been a little random given what they were talking about, but … 'You never turned up yesterday, I didn't see you but I remember you talking about meeting at the three broomsticks at some stage and then trying to get away from the crowds, but I don't remember seeing you. I was just wondering if something … Happened.'

Silence settled for a while before Allen sighed. 'Just a little … complication caused by the Tournament, that's all.'

'Complication? In what?' Hermione butted in.

'What did we tell you about always having to know everyone else business?' Kanda practically snarled, and she shrank back. Part of Harry wanted to defend her, she was his only friend, but something had just occurred to him as off.

'Where's Maria? I don't think I have seen her leave your side since you got back to Hogwarts.' Harry could hardly say he was friends with the snake, but after hanging out with Allen and Kanda over the last few weeks he had certainly gotten to know her. Apparently, parcelmouths could hear the hissing of a snake even when it was too low for other people, the fact that it instantly translated into English in their heads probably helped with that, what that meant for him however was that he had over heard many conversations between Allen and the talkative snake that clung to his neck every chance she got, despite the fact that she should be hibernating.

There was no way that she would normally keep quiet this long during a conversation like this, there was nothing the snarky snake liked more than interjecting sarcastic comments into a conversation every time Harry spoke. Something was very wrong, and the look on Allen's face when she was brought up just confirmed it.

Allen looked like he had been hit with something, he had gone very still and silent and even Kanda was looking a little horrified. Harry regretted bringing it up if this was the kind of reaction it was going to cause.

'She, ah, she,' Allen was practically choking on his words. Kanda winced and seemed to decide that he better explain before things got even worst, he also didn't know if Harry hadn't been legitimately trying to change the subject from Hermione's interrogation, unknowingly bringing up the exact thing they had been trying to avoid saying.

'We got attacked yesterday, she died trying to protect Allen.' Both Hermione and Harry went rather white. 'I told you I wouldn't let Moyashi join the competition because people would try and take him out due to a bet, it was just a little … too accurate in terms of predictions.' There was a sneer on his face as he said it, but then there was always a sneer on his face if something had upset Allen.

'Guess you just know me too well, hey, Kanda,' Allen commented, but the smile that was on his face was anything but happy, and seemed to mock them with its appearance.

Harry tried to imagine what it would be like to lose Hedgewig, and the flash of pain that hit him was enough to leave him short of breath. He didn't know how close Allen and Maria had been in comparison to him and Hedgewig, but he reckoned that even half the amount of pain he got just from the _idea_ of losing her would be enough to have most people hiding in bed and wishing the world away.

'Any thing we can do? Like, help you give her a proper send off or something? I don't know, sit quietly with hot chocolate if you already did so?' Harry said without really thinking of what he was saying.

Allen's smile lost a little of the edge it had held. 'No thanks, but we might head back to our room, let you talk to Hermione and prepare for the task on Tuesday if that is what you want to do.'

An hour later saw Hermione and Harry in the Library studying dragons as Allen and Kanda curled up together in the Room of requirements.

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Kanda was cursing their so called "friends" several hundred ways from the arc, heaven, hell and back again, and not necessarily for a single round trip. Tomorrow afternoon Allen had to participate in some unspecified task for a tournament that he didn't sign up for, these people knew that and as guard even knew what the task was, and they still thought that tonight would be a good night to drag them out of bed at ungodly hours of the morning for a "chat".

The worst part was that he couldn't even be surprised.

After several weeks of avoiding them, Lenalee had made it pretty clear that she expected them to join the other three on one of their rounds between two and three in the morning. There was no consideration for the fact that they were _students_ , nothing about the classes they had or the previously mentioned tournament, instead there was just this expectation that they would dance on a string and behave like the good little soldiers they had once been.

And it hurt. It hurt because Allen and Kanda had hoped to consider the matter closed after the last so-called meeting and the revelations that had occurred during it. He had hoped that Komui at least would be reasonable enough to realise that trying to mess with time to this degree was not only wrong but dangerous, that no matter what these idiots reported that central thought could be used. But then he remembered the backlash from the last time Komui had failed to see reason.

It hurt that, every time they saw their faces, even though everything was ancient history, that all he could see was the expressions that they had pulled at _that_ time. And that was why they had been avoiding them as well, and avoidance worked so much better when both parties agreed to it, even if Harry at least seemed to have noticed the rising tension. Though Kanda also thought that the exorcists' reasons for trying to stay away from them were probably rather petty.

These were the thoughts that were going through his head as he and Allen snuck out of the castle in the dead of night. It was, of course, another thing that irritated him as these people caused them to take the risk of being found by teachers and given a detention, all so these inconsiderate people could take up their time which they no longer deserved.

… he had been listening to too many of the Moyashi's rants.

Speaking of the Moyashi, since Maria had died he had continued to pull away. As resilient as he was physically, emotionally was a whole other matter, and Kanda was now more than a little concerned that the idiot would do something. Being hard to kill didn't cure recklessness, it caused it, and the state the other was in, it wasn't outside the realm of possibility for him to make some move against Voldemort or this invisible threat as a last ditch effort to feel useful to someone now that he was withdrawing from the people that could tell him that he was worth something. The Exorcists didn't help matters.

Kanda would give Allen until a week after the first task to figure out what was going on in his head on his own, then he would do something drastic.

Those thoughts stayed with him right up until they reached the clearing in the Forest that had been labelled their official meeting place. They were a little late, having had to wait for Hermione and Harry to finish in the Common room, the two had been practicing summoning charms of all things, and so the other three were already waiting for them.

He loved how uncomfortable Miranda looked, not because he was a sadist but because it indicated that at least she of these people hadn't completely lost it and knew that this was not going to go well. Hell, if she was uncomfortable it just proved once again that she would never abandon his Moyashi.

'So,' Allen said, his voice calmer and steadier than it had been in days, 'We're here, what did you want to talk about?' Kanda would never understand how the boy could use happiness as a weapon.

Lenalee shifted, then started talking. 'How is it that, after you claim the war is over, you still have not only one fragment of innocence but two?'

Shit.

It wasn't her words that set Kanda off, it was her tone of voice. Accusation hung in every word, and it was clear that, some time in the last few days, she had shut away her feelings of friendship and family for them and labelled them as nothing more than threats to those she considered her real family.

The Order, the ones that had made her life a living hell. People in this time would call what she had Stockholm syndrome, they would have terms to apply and ways of treating her that would mean that, maybe, years later, she would actually be able to live a relatively normal life. These people would never be able to help her, she would die before they got the chance.

But that was beside the point, the last time, the only time, this kind of thing had been directed at them had been one of the last times Allen and Kanda would ever be able to consider themselves as belonging to the Order, and it hadn't ended well for anyone.

And beside Kanda, something in Allen _stirred_.

'Don't you get it, Lenalee, even after we told you? We won, this was the consequence of what we did in order to do so.'

'Liar,' Lavi called out, his tone of voice dredging up horror images in their minds as memories that should stay _buried_ rose to the surface. 'There has never been a recorded instance of two synchronised innocence, even Cross can't claim that. A wand is a weapon that chooses a handler, like innocence even though I can't find out why these people know about it, but to have an innocence wand means that a second piece is syncing with you, not just your arm, that is _impossible._ '

'And there you go again,' Kanda said, sick and tired of these God Damned ghosts. 'You find something outside of your comprehension and blame _us_ when you don't understand it, how bloody stupid can you get? You just admitted that you don't know why innocence is common here, doesn't that mean that, for all you know, two innocence is bloody _normal_ here?' he was practically spitting by the end.

Miranda was twisting her hands, looking as if she wanted to say something or just leave, but if she did anything against Orders it would be her funeral Allen and Kanda would have to plan as well as Maria's.

Lenalee and Lavi looked pissed, not even the apprentice bookman managing to hide his feelings. 'We only came forward a hundred years, things can't have change that drastically,' Lavi snarled.

'No, you came to hidden world that has been evolving for millennia away from your knowledge.' Kanda spat back.

And suddenly there was blessed silence.

'Wh-What?' Lavi muttered.

'Dear Lord, you are an idiot,' Kanda was hissing in his rage. 'For the last three months you have been at a school that flaunts the fact it teaches magic. There is no innocence fragment, you haven't seen an Akuma attack, and yet _children_ do the impossible as a requirement for class. Clue in you bloody moron!'

Lavi shouldn't be able to look that lost after looking so angry only seconds ago. 'I … I figured that if what you said about the war was true than these kinds of things were some reward for humanity now that innocence was either gone or something.'

'Then why would we have ours?'

'Same way we have ours, I thought you were lying about taking the long way and just trying to hide how much of a traitor you were,' Lavi practically screamed as his confusion turned to rage in seconds.

And suddenly, everything in the clearing was still, and even Lenalee and Lavi seemed to realise they had done something wrong.

'Traitors, you say,' Allen muttered in a tone of voice so bland, and yet it seemed to have a deadly under current, 'You think that we are nothing but lying Traitors? Fuck, but you never change, and that is not a good thing.

'Traitors, us? This coming from the people who have, and always will, abandon us when we need them. People who say we are family, and then expect us to sacrifice our own lives so that they can keep living in a world of delusion, trying to tell themselves that those they grew up with would never betray them even if it means someone else has to pay the price.'

Kanda looked down at the boy next to him (three centimetres was a lot, thank you very much) as the wind started to blow once more in an almost cyclonic direction and force. An aura that put Black Allen to shame was starting to leak from the other boy, and Kanda was as worried about it even as he was offering his full hearted support of these people's demise.

'We were never the traitors, it was _you_ who betrayed _us_. Give it a few months, back in your time, and you will see us again, you will be signing our death warrants just because you want to believe in the people that you _know_ will see you dead and live in an imaginary world for just that little bit longer.'

'You said we won,' Lenalee said in a timid voice, scared by how Allen was behaving.

'Yes, I said _we_ did, after we stopped your bloody church from killing off humanity in an effort to claim the entire world for nobody but their chosen few, and spoilers, it didn't include exorcists.'

And with that the wind stopped, and Allen and Kanda were no longer in the clearing. But the dying wind had one last message to pass on as it whistled through the branches and formed threatening words.

" _Ghosts should stay dead._ "

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	33. D Gray man part 3

**Allen and Kanda's past part 3 (hopefully there will be enough of these to get people caught up on what happened in the past)**

Allen didn't fight, didn't let the pain show on his face as the two Crow who had been guarding him roughly tied him to the stake, paying no attention to his bruises, abrasions, and shattered bones that they themselves had given him.

Allen didn't fight, didn't grimace, didn't blink. All he did was stare at the people that filled the stadium who had all come to witness his public execution. People he had trusted, people he had fought to save, people he had even tentatively called friend and opened up to even after the abuse his heart had suffered over the years. He made sure to keep the accusations and blame out of his eyes because, truthfully, he knew that would hurt them more.

None of them would save him, none of them would try, and it hurt more than anything imaginable that they truly did not _care_ , and in a dark corner of his broken heart he hated them for it.

It had been a stupid mistake, such a stupid little thing, but it had resulted in him getting caught, and now he would be burnt at the stake like a witch, like the heathen he supposedly was.

The procedure had worked, for more than a month now he and Neah had been stable, had been talking, had been _plotting_ how to save the humans that one of them hated and other loved. Allen would do anything to try and save everything, and Neah would do anything for Allen. Everyone else within the house had agreed to help, for one reason or another, including the group formally of the Black Order.

It wasn't really that surprising, considering the information that the so-called third side was willing to give, information the Black Order was unlikely to hand over anytime soon.

And for three weeks, everything seemed to be _working_ , things like winning the war and saving humanity had seemed _possible,_ and looking back Allen thought that should have been his first clue that something was going to go wrong. After all, nothing in any of his lives worked, why would this be any different, just because he had Neah with him now.

Such a stupid little mistake, brought on by over confidence because his life was in order for once, or just a random throw of the dice of fate because there seemed to be some cosmic rule that he couldn't be happy, he didn't know, and it didn't really matter now either.

He had save a little girl from some Akuma, something he had done a thousand times before, and yet this time it had alerted the Order to his presence. He had been out shopping, so many mouths to feed, but he hadn't been out alone for safety reasons, reasons that came around to bite them in the arse when the Exorcists and Finders had started crawling all around, and within, the D. Campbell Mansion. Breaking and Entering on private property was apparently fine when it was the Dark Order involved, so many Laws they could bend when the world governments were owned by either the church or the Noah.

The other exorcists had come down on them like a tonne of bricks, cornering them like rats before sending in the exterminators. The exorcists of their group might all be critical point breakers, the power level of Generals in their own right even if not all of them held the title, but they were only three and the Order still had a few Generals of their own. They simply hadn't been able to _cope_ under the full might of the Order they had once belonged to.

But more than physical power, there was one advantage that the Black Order had that they had no qualms about capitalising on. Once upon a time Allen had considered them _friends_ , let down his shields even if only for a moment, and despite what everyone seemed to think he wasn't someone who could just throw that all away.

And Kanda and Tiedoll really weren't all that different when it came down to it. So, when the Exorcists had attacked with full strength, the others had not been able to bring themselves to do so. Things had gone quickly after that.

As Allen had been dragged away he had heard some of the guards bragging, the girl he had saved had been a lure. Lavi Bookman had survived, re-joined the Order, and given all the information he had on their residence from previous recordings and books he had read, before accepting his place back among what remained of his friends. The Order had known where they were heading, and had just been waiting on proof that they were there, given to them when Allen had rescued the child.

Over the last week of interrogation via "harsher methods", because torture was too nasty a word to be associated with a church and organisation of God, Allen had managed to infer what was happening just by the questions they asked and the bones they like to throw. Jonny had made it out, something Allen had already known as he had been the one to ensure it, but everyone else had been caught. However, despite having everyone in custody, only Allen would be tried as a Heretic, and no one was going to save him or argue their own involvement.

The Order had searched the Mansion from top to bottom, and as such had found Allen's lab and some of the more questionable substances and formulas he had there. He was being accused of using illegal chemicals to alter the minds of his friends and brainwashing them into helping him betray the Order. Those that had followed him would be allowed to go free, so long as they testified against him at a trial Allen wasn't allowed to attend. Those remaining that he had allowed a piece of his already broken heart wanted nothing to with him on account of they had no idea just how _long_ he had apparently been working against them using such methods, and had agree to testify under similar conditions of not being held responsible for anything.

One Crow had taken particular pleasure in telling him how Lenalee was finding solace with Lavi, he seemed to be under the impression that one of the things Allen had done with his so-called brain washing substances was force Lenalee to harbour rather specific feelings for him.

Well, that rumour would effectively kill _any_ support he might have had from more than half of those he would have thought were on his side.

Even _Link_ had managed to escape prosecution, Levellier would be lost without his dog after all, and so the man had come up with his explanation of just _why_ the rouge Crow had had to fake his death. Weaving a story of highly confidential missions and secret orders and just how they had both known _all along_ that Allen Walker could never be trusted.

The fragile friendship Allen had spent nearly a month trying to repair now tasted like ash in his mouth.

And now, here he was, tied to a wooden pole and surrounded by wood he knew to be soaked in oil, even as his cloths were drenched with water to ensure the took as long as possible to die, listening as central executives read out crimes he had been found guilty of at a trial he hadn't been allowed to attend.

A dark little voice, not Neah or any other Noah, just the darker parts of himself he had spent so long trying to _fix_ , whispered that at least now the pain would end, because the pain in his chest was so much _worse_ than all the things the Crow had managed to do to him over the last week.

'Allen?' a voice said, so much clearer than anything else and so familiar after the last month. He didn't react externally; the voice was in his head after all. 'Allen, please, just let me take over. I can't get us out of here, I know that, but if I'm in control you won't be able to tell what's going on, and this is not something you should ever have to experience. Just … if you just let _me_ , I can take away the pain, it doesn't have to hurt, it can be just like …'

 _Like falling asleep_. And didn't sleep sound good, he was just so damned _tired_ of all the fight and struggle and moving forward when there was no ground beneath his feet or the path he tread was made of broken glass and shattered skulls. It was so tempting … but …

'But, Neah, then where would you go?' Allen thought, and listened to the others protests of how he would be able to deal with the pain just that little bit better for only a fraction of second before cutting him off. 'Besides, I want them to know exactly what it is they are doing. If they want to burn me, I want them to burn _me_ , with no lies or excuses about how I was a Noah to hide behind. They need to see what it is they are going to do, and whether they know it consciously or not, I want them to face the consequences of their decisions right now.'

And the voice in his head was silent, even if that silence range with pain and the knowledge that this was unavoidable, and they were both going to die in an agonising blaze.

Allen went back to what he had been doing since the Crow had dragged him out by his shattered arms, trailing his broken legs behind as they were unable to support him, and chained him up to the post that was only thing keeping him upright, staring calmly at his friends that had sentenced him to death.

Lenalee and Lavi, like that Guard had suggested they would be, were huddled close and clinging to each other for comfort, looks of pain and anger in their eyes as they gazed at him, the accusations clear even as they remained unspoken. Komui was oblivious, sitting amongst the other higher-ranking personnel from Central and looking at him with confusion, mixed with the desire to take up where the Crow left off for his audacity in deceiving his darling little sister.

Miranda was notably absent, as was Crowley, and the same dark part of Allen didn't know whether he should be glad that they, at least, were not here to gawk and celebrate at his demise, or if he should worry that there might have _actually_ been someone who was not willing to speak out against Central for him, and they were paying the price. Because as much as Allen wished that at least one of these people had actually cared, he didn't want them to be punished because of it, and the two conflicting wishes that he hadn't even realised he had were starting to wear away at his mask. Noise Marie was also absent, but then he would probably have an excuse as Allen's screams would be sure to hurt his ears.

With one exception, everyone looked at him with varying levels of hatred and self-satisfaction, even several finders Allen knew he had saved at one point or another.

And of course, Kanda was the odd one out. Allen couldn't explain, exactly, what it was about Kanda's expression that made him think that he, at least, wasn't just there for entertainment. It might have the pure fury in his eyes, or it might just have been that, even in just a few short weeks, he though he understood the other better than probably anyone else.

At long last Levellier had finished his, rather impressively long, list of crimes and his pyre was lit.

It was suffocating, both the heat and the smoke, before the flames had even had a chance to reach him. There wasn't, of course, enough smoke to kill him quickly and end his suffering, just enough to make it hard to breath as the heated air scoured his lungs. The water on his cloths was heating, steaming, boiling him alive as the flames got closer.

Despite his best efforts, Allen was unable to hold back his screams as the fire finally started to eat away at his toes, bare and broken and now blistered and black, the pain so much worst than anything else he had experienced over the last week simply because he knew it would not end no matter how much he pleaded and screamed for it to do so.

And then, despite all expectations and common sense, a strong pair of arms was wrapping around him, bringing him even only a second of relief, before true panic set in as dry, chapped lips rested near his ear and whispered in a harsh voice.

'You won't die alone, Allen, I can offer you nothing else but this.'

Kanda had sat through the proceedings for the farce of a trial silently, and surprising no one had asked for his testimony, and now he was going to do the same at the execution, at least for the beginning.

This … wasn't right, and he knew it, though no one else seemed to have realised that yet. He hated these people that would turn against and kill the person that had saved all their fucking arses more times than he could count, a person they had _forced_ to open up and love them despite knowing better.

As the two uncaring Crow brought out the broken, white haired, _child_ , and chained him to a stake amongst the oil-soaked wood, Kanda was forced to admit certain things he had been denying for far too long, if only to himself.

He cared for the bean sprout better known as Allen Walker. It had been a slow thing, and as someone who wasn't that quick witted it had taken him way too long to realise, but budding respect had grown into something stronger, and he had lost himself in that feeling during the months after Alma's death, realised the depth of it during that month in the mansion when he found out he might not have to kill the brat after all, something that, looking back, had always been more about revenge on the person that would kill him than anything else.

And as these idiots read out charges that had been made up and justified using crooked evidence, all he could do was look down at the pain in Allen's eyes, and think that he deserved better than this, and he would do anything to make it so.

He gripped Mugden's hilt in order to keep from lashing out as they lit the fire, especially as he saw the triumph in their so called friend's eyes.

Kanda waited until the flames had reached him, waited until they were hot enough that no one could get close without killing themselves in the process, waited right up until the screams broke what little remained off his patience.

He stood suddenly, those around him reached for him, their eyes questioning through their growing horror as it finally started to sink in what there had done. But it was too late to back out now, and he didn't let them touch him, didn't want their filth on him, didn't want them to try and stop him. When he started leaping down the stands towards the center, down to that barren earth where they had built their pile of wood, only then did they start to cry out in shock and protest, the horror of the _noise_ that was starting to block out the ability to think, which these people didn't seem to have had in the first place, tinging their tone of voice as said voices started to rise in an effort to be heard.

Those that would block his way moved to grab him, stop him, but they were too slow and soon he was standing in that same field, the heat of the fire reaching out to welcome him as he continued to walk forward, beating those that would try to _save_ him back. The crackling of flames and screams were now mixed with please for mercy that broke his heart.

And at long last, he too was bound at the prior though no chains were needed to do it. His long hair had long ago caught alight, his coat too, and he had to force himself to move though the pain in order to wrap his arms around one of only two people he had ever loved, clinging to the stake because he refused to survive the death of the second person he was to lose. He gritted his teeth as his curse seal tried to fix the damage, but it was already used up and the fires just continued to burn through the remainder of its healing power.

He couldn't save the Moyashi, with Central that was a lost cause and he would have been chained up like the other two that had tried to do so, but …

'You won't die alone, Allen, I can offer you nothing else but this,' because Allen didn't deserve to die alone, screaming and writhing in front of uncaring people as their stared at their sick form of entertainment.

Allen deserved to die in the arms of someone who loved him, next to a person who would fight beside him for what they both believed in, as a warier.

And if Kanda had to burn next to him in order to bring even half of that to pass, then burn next to him he would.

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 **It just took me nearly 3 thousand words to write a death scene, I think that's a record for me. Wonder how I'm going to get them out of this one, because that was seriously part of this story, not an extra. And I am really sorry for leaving it there, I have plans for what comes next, but as I stated before I am unable to write it up at the moment. Hopefully it wont be too long.**

 **(Note: killing me before I write it might get rid of some of your frustrations, but it will severally decrease your chances of ever getting anymore. I say this as I build a virtual fortress to hide behind)**


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